Chongfei Manual

When Li Song woke up, the sky was still dark and the room was quiet. There was a lit lamp on the red sandalwood table that was decoratively carved with hornless dragons. It was barely able to illuminate the darkness of the room. Li Song furrowed his eyebrows, sat up on the bed, and slowly looked around the room with his deep and dark eyes: a vermillion-lacquered table with curved edges, inlayed with gold, and decoratively carved with spirals, light green curtains, a divider painted with a charming scene of bamboo and evergreen in the mountains, and there was a sword hanging on the left side of the room.

This was his room in Prince Ru Yang’s residence.

There was a strange expression on Li Song’s face. He couldn’t help clenching his hand into a fist. Prince Ru Yang’s residence had been confiscated of their valuable possession five years ago and he had left that place since then. How did he suddenly return?

Li Song remembered that after he had ridden a horse between two snow-capped peaks, the ground shook and the accumulated snow on the mountaintops had fallen down without warning. He didn’t die? Li Song raised his hands. The dim lighting was enough for him to see that his hands were perfectly fine. He felt even more doubtful.

Perhaps, he was dreaming.

Li Song glanced out the window and saw the early morning light and mist. It seemed as if it had drizzled last night. The air was saturated with dampness. He quietly sat at the head of the bed without moving while leaning against a large pillow embroidered with silver thread. His expression was cold like frozen water.

When the first rays of sunlight entered the room, he slightly raised his eyes. The sun was especially gentle as it shined on the light colored butterfly-shaped birthmark underneath his eye. His face looked even more captivating underneath the sunlight. Li Song slightly narrowed his eyes. He hadn't experienced such a peaceful morning in a long time.

He heard the sound of footsteps starting from the verandah and stopping at his doors. Someone pushed opened the doors and entered his room. As the person headed towards his inner room, he said, “Young Master, why did you wake up so early today? It’s still early morning. Aren’t you going to go out at noon? You can still sleep some more.”

It was Li Song’s personal servant, Lu Shi.

Li Song furrowed his eyebrows and stared at him.

Lu Shi had served him for over a decade and had been very loyal to House Li. However, when House Li had been punished, his elderly mother had asked him to return to his hometown. Li Song had heard he had met with an accident on the way there and had died a few days later. Why would he appear again? Li Song’s eyes deepened. If this was really a dream, this dream was a bit too realistic.

Seeing that Li Song wasn’t responding, Lu Shi was confused and asked again, “Young Master, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well somewhere? This servant can call for a doctor to see you.” Normally, Li Song wouldn’t have ignored him. However, Li Song only rubbed the spot between his eyebrows without saying a word today.

“Young Master?” Lu Shi asked.

A long time later, Li Song said with a hoarse voice, “I’m fine.”

Lu Shi skeptically looked at Li Song. Other than his complexion not looking good, he wasn’t any different from usual. Lu Shi didn’t continue to ask questions. After he waited upon Li Song with putting on his clothes and washing his face, he withdrew from the room and prepared to have people bring in breakfast. However, right after he had stepped one foot past the doorway, someone came bustling over here and almost collided with him. Without any greeting, the person went straight to the inner room.

There was only one person in the Prince Ru Yang’s household that could act this willfully and rashly. It was first miss Li Xiang.

Li Xiang was wearing an a short, dark yellow top embroidered with a hundred silver butterfly and flowers and an indigo pleated skirt embroidered with white flowers. She arrived at Li Song’s bedside like a gust of wind.

She was born with a beautiful appearance. Her teeth were white, her lips were red, her eyes were almond-shaped, and her cheeks were rosy. Even when she was frowning, she still had a lovable charm that affected other people. Li Xiang pouted and questioned, “Older brother, why haven’t you done the thing you promised me?”

Li Song looked at her and couldn’t help wrinkling his brow slightly. Quite a while later, he asked, “What?”

Seeing that he wasn’t showing a response, Li Xiang thought he was going to go back on his word. She took out a small, white and blue porcelain bottle from her sleeve and stuffed it into Li Song’s hand. “This bottle has five minerals powder. I had the servants buy it. You promised me that would get Wei Chang Hong to use this. You can’t go back on your word.”

After saying this, she saw that Li Song hadn’t shown any reaction and softened her voice to say, “Older brother, you know that I don’t want to marry Wei Chang Hong. This is the only way to get father and mother to be willing to cancel the engagement. Aren’t you going to Yu He today? I heard that Wei Chang Hong would also be going? Pretty please, just give him this bottle when you see him…”

Wei Chang Hong.

Li Song lowered his eyes and looked at the white and blue porcelain bottle in his left hand. Memories that he wanted to forget but couldn’t forget gradually filled his mind. During the five years had he been gone, he had traveled all over the country and seen all of the lakes and rivers. But, he still couldn’t erase that point of obsession in his mind. At the mention of anything related to her, he couldn’t help becoming preoccupied with thoughts about her.

Li Song still hadn’t said a word. Li Xiang inevitably felt somewhat anxious. Once again, she called out, “Older brother.”

Then, she sat down on the bed, grasped Li Song’s arm, and said, “Older brother, this five minerals powder won’t kill Wei Chang Hong. It’ll only worsen his reputation a little bit. I’m a girl. I can’t ruin my reputation by canceling an engagement without any reason. It’s father and mother’s fault for insisting that I marry him.”

Worried about this matter, Li Xiang mumbled about this for a while until Li Song finally furrowed his brow and said, “Okay.”

Li Xiang immediately stopped speaking.

Li Song held the white and blue porcelain bottle in the hollow of his hand and said to Li Xiang without looking at her, “You can leave now.”

Li Xiang knew that he was feeling impatient from his expression. She wanted to say more, but she felt timid after seeing Li Song’s cold and cryptic expression, so she unwilling walked out of the room.

After Li Xiang left, there was no one speaking garrulously next to him. Li Song silently sat on the bed in a daze for a moment and thought of the warmth he had felt when Li Xiang had touched him. The touch felt too real. It didn’t feel like a dream.

He heavily fell back down on the bedding. The framework of the bed was sturdy and only lightly swayed. Li Song raised a hand and covered his eyes. On the surface, he still seemed calm, but his body was taut and his arms were faintly trembling as if he was trying to restrain his emotions at all costs.

This wasn’t a dream. Lu Shi was here. Li Xiang was a fourteen-year-old girl right now. He had actually returned to the past.

But, when had Li Xiang and Wei Chang Hong been engaged? Li Song remembered that although his parents originally had this idea, there had been conflict between Li Xiang and Wei Luo during the annual hunting competition and she later injured Wei Chang Hong by shooting an arrow at him. The marriage talks between the two families failed and his parents never mentioned this matter again. How could Li Xiang be engaged to Wei Chang Hong right now?

Li Song lied on the bed without moving. A long time later, he finally slowly moved his hand away from his eyes. His red and gloomy eyes were unfathomable. No one would be able to tell what he had just decided.