Chapter One: Three Thousand Affections (Part Four)

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IV. The Unfathomable Heart

The world around was shrouded in mist, and Xiang Bao stood lost and bewildered, unable to tell where she was.

“Sister.” Someone called out to her.

“Wei Qin? Wei Qin, is that you?” Xiang Bao turned and saw Wei Qin dressed in red, standing amidst the haze, his figure obscured.

“Sister...” He stood at a distance, softly calling her. The voice was so gentle, yet Xiang Bao heard every word clearly, so clear it made her heart ache.

The mist grew thicker, sweeping in from all directions, and Wei Qin’s silhouette was gradually swallowed by the fog. Xiang Bao tried to move toward him, but found herself unable to take a single step. She could only stand and watch as Wei Qin smiled through the swirling mist—a gentle, warm smile. Yet, though he smiled, Xiang Bao seemed to see a lonely child crying in his eyes.

That solitary child loved to wear red, for red was the liveliest color.

“I like you,” he said suddenly, looking at her.

Xiang Bao’s eyes widened in shock, and she instinctively hugged herself, feeling chilled to the bone. No, no, no... I am your sister, your real sister!

Suddenly, warm arms enveloped her, pulling her into an embrace. Who was it? Who? Xiang Bao trembled—such a warm embrace, could it be...?

“Beauty...” Suddenly, he bent down and gently licked her earlobe, his persistent, haunting voice crushing Xiang Bao’s illusions. Slender fingers deftly slipped beneath her robes, and Xiang Bao felt a chilly sensation on her shoulder. She slowly turned, only to see his face looming ever closer...

Xiang Bao startled awake, her eyes snapping open.

Was it a dream?

“Get up! Hurry, get up!” As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Si Xiang standing at her bedside, clutching her bedding with a furious expression. Feeling the cold on her body, Xiang Bao glanced down and realized the little rascal had taken all her covers.

That was... just a dream!

Xiang Bao lowered her head, reflecting on herself—she had dreamed such a thing... Was it a spring dream? And the person in the dream was... was...

If he knew...

Xiang Bao broke into a cold sweat, trembling, then grew disgusted with herself.

“Still not getting up? Do you know what time it is? Yun Ji and the others are already at the palace gates!” Si Xiang, unable to tolerate Xiang Bao’s sluggishness, shouted loudly.

Xiang Bao looked up and saw his flushed, annoyed face—a look of bitter disappointment that made her laugh. She couldn’t resist pinching his adorable, yet precociously mature cheeks.

“Hurry up!” Seeing her tease him, Si Xiang turned his head awkwardly, mumbling gruffly.

Xiang Bao chuckled and got up, pulling on her outer robe.

Zi Ruo had already entered, carrying a basin and toiletries. She stood quietly by, trembling, a stark contrast to her usual self.

“Help her dress and do her hair! What are you standing there for?” Si Xiang turned back, dissatisfied, and barked, “She needs narrow sleeves for horseback riding, simple hair ornaments to avoid inconvenience... Yes, like that, hurry up!” He frowned thoughtfully, then added.

“Yes,” Zi Ruo answered quickly, stepping forward to assist Xiang Bao.

Seeing Xiang Bao dressing, Si Xiang turned his back, hands clasped, playing the little adult. Xiang Bao snickered—compared to his wayward father, Si Xiang was far more obedient.

With Si Xiang’s repeated urging, Xiang Bao finally arrived at the palace gates in time.

“Madam is fashionably late,” Fu Chai remarked, his bright yellow robes dazzling in the morning sun, his hair tied high, strands fluttering wildly in the wind.

Xiang Bao quickly bowed, but couldn’t help wondering at his attire—was he hunting or competing for beauty? Imagining King Fu Chai standing among a flock of peacocks... Xiang Bao couldn’t help but giggle.

She looked up furtively, only to be caught by his smiling gaze. Xiang Bao hastily lowered her head, her mind drifting to the dream, sighing inwardly—if he knew about that dream, he would tease her mercilessly!

“Lady Xishi is quite the grand presence, making the king wait,” a sudden voice cut in. Without looking, Xiang Bao knew it was Yun Ji.

But... Lady Xishi?

Xiang Bao slowly raised her head to look at Yun Ji. Since she had “lost her memory,” her identity was theirs to define, and now they insisted on calling her Xishi?

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Yun Ji wore white palace robes, and behind her, several women—Hua Mei and Zheng Dan among them. Hua Mei looked at Xiang Bao with concern, while Zheng Dan’s expression was as cold as ever. Among the women brought from Yue, they were the most beautiful, and it seemed Fu Chai had good taste. Everyone else wore palace attire, but thanks to Si Xiang’s advice, Xiang Bao’s pale blue narrow-sleeved dress stood out oddly.

“Madam’s outfit is truly surprising,” Fu Chai commented, “Choose any horse you like.” He gestured toward several attendants holding horses.

Xiang Bao followed his gesture—horses were all the same to her. But one among them, with snowy white hooves, caught her eye. It seemed familiar. She approached and gently stroked its ear. The horse shook its head and twitched its ear, and Xiang Bao happily took the reins from the attendant.

“Uh...” The attendant looked troubled.

Xiang Bao glanced back in confusion, saw Fu Chai nod slightly, and the attendant finally released the reins to her.

“Madam has excellent taste,” Fu Chai smiled.

Seeing him smile, Xiang Bao’s hair stood on end—she wanted to drop the reins and run, for every time he smiled at her, trouble followed.

“That horse belongs to the king,” a sudden voice sounded. Xiang Bao jumped, turning to see—it was him! Fate had brought them together again, standing to Fu Chai’s left was Wu Feng, the same man she had caught entangled with Yun Ji in the garden.

Xiang Bao sighed inwardly—did she have a curse with the Wu family? Wu Zixu had branded her as a disaster, seeking her death, and now his son Wu Feng...

Wu Feng looked at her with deep warning in his eyes.

Surprise gave way to amusement—she caught the flicker of panic in his gaze. He must have been startled when he first saw her. Did he regret not killing her outright? Surely, he hadn’t expected her to be the infamous Xishi.

If he learned she wasn’t mute... Xiang Bao frowned, sighing inwardly—it was best to avoid him in the future. She turned away from Wu Feng, looking back at the horse—so it was Fu Chai’s warhorse. She remembered now, at the foot of Mount Fujiao, when they had encountered bandits together, he had ridden this very horse.

“King.” A familiar voice.

Gou Jian?

Xiang Bao turned, and as expected, Gou Jian in coarse robes knelt before Fu Chai. Beside him, Shi Lian and Fan Li also knelt. Xiang Bao turned her head away, feeling pity—when the king kneels, how can his ministers not kneel? Proud as Shi Lian and Fan Li were, at this moment, they had no choice but to bend the knee to the King of Wu.

“Well? What does the King of Yue want?” Fu Chai raised his brows, smiling.

A single “King of Yue”—the utmost humiliation. King of Yue, the ruler of Yue, now kneeling before him.

“I heard the king is going hunting. I am ever grateful for the king’s great kindness, longing day and night to repay it. I beg the king to allow me to lead his horse as a token of my gratitude...” Gou Jian bowed deeply.

“The King of Yue is thoughtful, how tiresome,” Fu Chai looked down at Gou Jian’s humble face, lips parting, and pointed at Xiang Bao. “In that case, help Madam onto the horse.”

Xiang Bao froze.

Gou Jian, calm, approached her, kneeling on one knee. Xiang Bao looked down at him in a daze; his head stayed bowed, his face unreadable. After a long moment, he looked up: “Please mount.” His attitude respectful.

“The day Yue is restored is the day I bring you back,” his words from another day echoed in Xiang Bao’s ears.

Xiang Bao shivered—if she hadn’t heard him say that, she would never have guessed such ambition beneath his humility. With hope of restoration in his heart, enduring what others could not, he... was truly terrifying.

“Mount,” he whispered, in a voice only she and he could hear.

Her palm grew damp as she gripped the reins, stepping onto his back to mount the horse. Suddenly, the horse went wild, rearing up. Xiang Bao stared in terror at Gou Jian, who was still kneeling beneath the horse.

“Ah!” Xiang Bao screamed, squeezing her eyes shut.

Shi Lian moved, but Fan Li held him back.

At the critical moment, Fu Chai leaped onto the horse behind Xiang Bao, holding her hands tightly on the reins. “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.” He pulled the reins, calming the horse. Gou Jian was knocked forward, sprawling onto the ground, face covered in dust but otherwise unharmed.

Xiang Bao huddled in Fu Chai’s arms for a long time before cautiously opening her eyes.

“Hahaha...” Fu Chai laughed heartily, clearly in high spirits.

Shi Lian glanced at Fan Li, uneasy—this was a test from the King of Wu. Had he acted to save his lord, he might have endangered Gou Jian’s life. This unpredictable king was not to be underestimated.

Fan Li’s eyes quietly watched the shaken woman in Fu Chai’s arms, his hand slowly curling into a fist.

Shi Lian frowned, approaching to help Gou Jian up, but Gou Jian subtly pushed him away. He struggled up himself, face smeared with dust, a shallow scratch on his left cheek, tiny beads of blood seeping out.

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Fu Chai did not tease Gou Jian further. He raised his whip, and the horse surged forward, galloping like an arrow, his wide sleeves and high-bound hair streaming wildly in the wind, bold and radiant.

Wu Feng glanced back at the battered King of Yue. “Follow along,” he said, then spurred his horse after Fu Chai.

Xiang Bao sat quietly in front of Fu Chai. He knew this warhorse obeyed none but himself, yet had Gou Jian help her mount. Gou Jian had his ambitions, Fu Chai his cunning—neither was easy to deal with, and yet, why did they use her as their whetstone?

“Are you cold?” Fu Chai, feeling Xiang Bao tremble, looked down at her.

Hearing his voice, Xiang Bao instinctively stiffened. Fu Chai said nothing more, just wrapped her in his cloak.

Soon, they reached a dense forest. Wu Feng signaled for everyone to stop.

“Set up camp here. Rest for a while. After lunch, we’ll hunt in the woods!” Wu Feng called out, then dismounted and knelt. “Please dismount, Your Majesty.”

Gou Jian hurriedly dismounted, kneeling with both knees, prostrating himself before Fu Chai’s horse. “Please dismount, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you, King of Yue,” Fu Chai raised his brows and stepped onto Gou Jian’s back. The step was heavy; Xiang Bao saw sweat bead on Gou Jian’s forehead. Fu Chai dismounted over the King of Yue’s spine, then swaggered over to Xiang Bao. “Madam, shall I help you down?” He smiled broadly, arms open, as if waiting for her to fall into his embrace.

Suddenly, she felt murderous, resentful gazes behind her. Xiang Bao’s lips twitched—if looks could kill, she’d have died a dozen times by now. Did he have to make her the target of everyone’s ire?

Suddenly, a familiar gaze—Fan Li? His eyes brimmed with suppressed pain, so bitter Xiang Bao’s heart ached.

“Madam?” Fu Chai called.

Xiang Bao sighed inwardly, knowing he wouldn’t give up until he got his way. She turned and dismounted, falling into his arms.

Lunch was bland provisions brought from the palace, eaten hastily before preparations for the afternoon hunt began. Xiang Bao had no appetite, lost in thought.

“Madam, is lunch hard to swallow?” Fu Chai came up behind her, pulling her into his arms.

Xiang Bao turned slightly, knowing resistance was useless, so she didn’t push him away.

Sometimes, she truly didn’t understand this king. At the foot of Mount Fujiao, she had seen him kill—beautiful in his cruelty, as if painting with blood. In the Wu camp, he was Prince Ji, her comrade in adversity, and she forgot the ferocity he showed while killing, even using his sword... to roast fish.

Then he became King Fu Chai. And after that, his bizarre conditions—he actually demanded “marrying Fan Li’s beloved as a concubine” as part of Yue’s surrender.

After the chaos, she became Xishi—Fan Li’s beloved Xishi... She bore the name Xishi into Wu, coming to his side.

So what was he thinking? Was it just a desire for talent, using her to win Fan Li over?

“Lunch is rough, but I’ll hunt a deer for you this afternoon,” Fu Chai whispered, his cheek brushing hers.

Such tender care—it was terrifying. If she were her old self, she would have fallen for him long ago. Such cruel tenderness...

She was no longer the Xiang Bao of old; she had seen the brutality behind gentleness, her shattered heart unable to endure any more pain. That heartbreak, if suffered again, would destroy her completely.

The hunt soon began. Wu Feng and the young generals were fully armed, ready.

“General Fan, General Shi, will you join us?” Fu Chai, mounted, invited.

“As a surrendered minister, I dare not hunt with the king,” Fan Li bowed his head.

Shi Lian bowed likewise.

Fu Chai’s narrow eyes glinted. He took the bow from Gou Jian and turned to Xiang Bao with a smile. “Madam, wait for me to bring you a deer!” With that, Fu Chai led the charge into the woods, followed by the others.

“Lady Xishi is truly favored by the king,” Yun Ji smiled, approaching Xiang Bao, followed by several palace concubines who surrounded her.

Xiang Bao’s head ached. Seeing everyone else busy resting, fetching water, gathering firewood for the evening’s roast, she quickly found an excuse to slip away.