CCWAD – Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Black Hair Raises Suspicion

Prologue:

“I thought I had hidden all my flaws until Lu Junyi picked up the strand of long hair I dropped. At that moment, time froze. In an era where all men kept their hair short, this strand of black hair was more fatal than any sword.”

—

The lingering aftermath of bringing down Yu Bao Si had subtly shifted Yan Qing’s position in Liangshan Marsh. No one dared to openly provoke the “frail” yet sharp-witted Little Yi Ge anymore. Even a brute like Li Kui became more subdued in her presence. However, his large, bell-like eyes often held a look of confusion – how could the brother who once tossed him around so easily now seem like he’d fall with a gust of wind?

Yan Qing welcomed the peace, using the excuse of “recovering from injuries” to keep to herself. She knew her greatest weakness lay in her physical body; the subtle changes might fool the careless, but they wouldn’t likely escape Lu Junyi, who spent his days and nights with her. She had to be even more cautious.

One day, Lu Junyi summoned her to his study to discuss the resettlement of Yu Bao Si’s remaining followers. Sunlight streamed through the window lattices, casting distinct shadows within the study. Lu Junyi sat in the main seat, while Yan Qing stood respectfully before the desk, her head bowed as she listened.

As Lu Junyi spoke, his gaze inadvertently swept over Yan Qing’s lowered head. Due to her “injuries,” Yan Qing hadn’t meticulously tied her hair back recently, only loosely securing it into a bun. A few stray strands fell to her neck, shimmering with an iridescent black in the sunlight, making the exposed nape appear even fairer and more delicate.

Lu Junyi felt an inexplicable stir in his heart. He noticed that since her “illness,” not only had her complexion become more radiant, but her hair seemed to be darker and softer than usual. He didn’t dwell on it, attributing it to qi and blood deficiency during her sickness.

As he was concentrating, Yan Qing raised her hand to point at the mountain stronghold’s defense map spread on the desk. The wide sleeve of her robe slid down slightly, revealing a slender wrist. Lu Junyi’s eyes were sharp; he glimpsed that the wrist was not only dazzlingly white but also possessed an exceptionally graceful curve, entirely lacking the angularity of bone and muscle expected of a man.

His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Just then, as Yan Qing leaned closer to the map, her loose bun shifted slightly with the movement. A long, slender strand of black hair quietly detached itself and floated down, landing precisely beside Lu Junyi’s hand on the desk.

The strand of hair was nearly three feet long, supple and lustrous.

Lu Junyi’s pupils contracted sharply!

In those times, men, even if they didn’t shave their heads regularly like soldiers, would typically cut their hair when it reached their shoulders or back. This was for ease of management and to allow for agile movement. Hair nearly three feet long, almost reaching the waist, was something only women of the inner chambers would meticulously nurture!

He abruptly raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a blade, fixing directly on Yan Qing’s face.

Yan Qing, unaware of the impending disaster, was engrossed in the map. Sensing the change in atmosphere, she looked up and met Lu Junyi’s gaze, which was filled with surprise, uncertainty, and a sharpness like a knife. Her heart panicked. Following his gaze, she saw the long strand of her own hair lying by his hand.

In that instant, Yan Qing’s blood seemed to freeze!

Her mind went blank, with only one thought screaming madly: It’s over!

The room was so silent that a needle drop would have been audible. The air seemed to have solidified into ice, heavy and suffocating.

Lu Junyi’s fingers slowly picked up the strand of hair. Its silken texture was entirely different from the slightly coarse texture of Yan Qing’s hair he remembered from the past. His gaze was deep as he looked at Yan Qing’s instantly pale face, the unconcealable terror in her eyes, and her slightly trembling lips.

“Little Yi,” Lu Junyi’s voice was low and hoarse, carrying a powerful, suppressed surge like a stormy sea, “When did you grow your hair this long?”

Yan Qing’s throat tightened, and she couldn’t utter a single word. Cold sweat instantly soaked through her inner garments. How could she explain? Say that after her injury, her constitution changed, and even her hair grew faster? She herself wouldn’t believe such a preposterous tale!

Lu Junyi stood up, walked around the desk, and approached her step by step. His tall frame cast a shadow that completely enveloped Yan Qing. The immense pressure almost made her collapse to the ground.

“And your wrists,” Lu Junyi’s gaze swept over her exposed wrists and slender neck, his voice as cold as the deepest winter ice, “Your complexion, your demeanor… Little Yi, tell me, what has that ‘icy palm strike’ turned you into?”

His suspicion, like a drawn sword, finally pointed towards the most crucial and forbidden secret.

Yan Qing retreated step by step until her back hit the cold wall, with nowhere left to go. Lu Junyi’s eyes were terrifying. They no longer held the concern of an elder brother but the sharp scrutiny of a patriarch examining something abnormal, and perhaps… even a hint of rage at being deceived.

“Brother… I…” Her voice trembled uncontrollably. Her mind raced, but she couldn’t find a single plausible reason to explain the hair. The difference in physical characteristics was a chasm that no lie could bridge!

Just as Lu Junyi’s hand was about to touch her shoulder, and his scrutinizing gaze was about to become a tangible investigation—

“Report—!” A hurried shout came from outside the hall from a personal guard, “Master, Leader Song Jiang has urgent military intelligence and requests all leaders to come to the Hall of Righteous Gathering for a meeting!”

Military intelligence again!

Lu Junyi’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air. He stared intently at Yan Qing’s terrified face, then glanced at the glaring strand of hair in his fingers. His chest heaved several times.

Ultimately, the overwhelming suspicion and anger were forcibly suppressed by the sudden military urgent report. He took a deep breath, pushing the urge to investigate, which was about to break through his reason, deep into his heart.

“You…” he squeezed out a word through gritted teeth, tightly clenching the strand of hair in his palm as if holding a searing hot iron, “Wait here! You are not to go anywhere!”

With that, he abruptly turned, carrying an unquenched chill, and strode away.

The study door slammed shut heavily, isolating the inside from the outside.

Yan Qing slid down the wall to the floor, her body completely drained, as if she had just been fished out of water, drenched in cold sweat. She hugged her knees, burying her face deeply within them, her body trembling uncontrollably.

So close… just a little bit more…

That strand of hair! How could she have been so careless!

Lu Junyi was not Li Gu, nor was he Yu Bao Si. He knew the original Yan Qing too well. Any subtle difference would be magnified in his eyes. This time it was her hair; what about next time? And the time after that?

She could hide from the present, but not forever.

Fear, like icy vines, tightly wrapped around her heart, almost suffocating her. For the first time, she clearly felt the sharp sword of exposure hanging over her head, ready to fall at any moment.

She could no longer harbor any illusions.

She slowly raised her head, her eyes still holding fear, but more so a desperation born of being pushed to the brink.

Liangshan had become her cage. Lu Junyi’s concern had now transformed into the most dangerous scrutiny.

She had to leave.

Not just a fleeting thought as before, but an action that needed to be taken immediately!

She struggled to her feet and walked to the window, looking in the direction of Eastern Capital. Her gaze gradually became firm, even taking on a hint of ruthless determination, like that of a cornered animal.

Li Shishi… No matter what the future held, meeting this renowned lady of the capital, Li Dajia, was her only way out.

She needed a “merit,” a “merit” that would allow her to openly move away from the core of Liangshan and head to Eastern Capital.

—

(End of Chapter Six)