Chapter Sixty-Five: Fleeing into the Night

Something came up and delayed me... There will be more later tonight...

Nie Xiaoqian’s appearance took Chen Jianchen by surprise—she was still alone, dressed in elegant men’s attire, her figure strikingly handsome beneath the hazy moonlight, so much so that Chen Jianchen found himself a little dizzy just looking at her.

As the saying goes: “A horse sizes up its general, a beauty is best seen beneath the lamp,” but truly, admiring a beauty under the moon has a charm all its own.

“Miss Nie, what brings you here?”

To be honest, Chen Jianchen and Nie Xiaoqian barely knew each other; in truth, the two had only exchanged words once before.

Nie Xiaoqian blinked and said, “If I didn’t come, how would I ask you for that piece of calligraphy?”

She was quite tall, and standing close, was only half a head shorter than Chen Jianchen. In men’s attire, her long legs and slender waist were accentuated, her chest bound so that only a subtle hint of her figure showed.

Facing Chen Jianchen, she was poised and natural, without the slightest trace of the affected coyness typical of young ladies. She stretched out her hand and said crisply, “Young Master Chen, don’t tell me you haven’t finished the calligraphy for me?”

Chen Jianchen chuckled, pulling a scroll from his sleeve and handing it to her.

Nie Xiaoqian took it, but didn’t immediately open it.

Chen Jianchen asked in confusion, “Don’t you want to see what I’ve written?”

Nie Xiaoqian smiled mischievously. “Whether I look or not, the words won’t change, will they? Anyway, I need to find a place to hide for a bit. By now, I’m sure my maid and my father’s guards are searching everywhere for me.”

Chen Jianchen was speechless. “Did you sneak out?”

“What do you mean, sneak out? That sounds so unpleasant. I simply found the food at the Zhuangyuan Pavilion unappetizing, and the guests there too pretentious. Then I happened to see a certain student scholar being thrown out, so I decided to take a walk.”

Nie Xiaoqian’s smile was bright and playful, as if sneaking out was a matter of course, lending her a mischievous charm.

Chen Jianchen’s expression turned cold. “You saw that?”

Nie Xiaoqian laughed lightly. “I was just enjoying the moonlight and happened to see it by chance. But tell me, why weren’t you angry at the time? It’s rather odd.”

Chen Jianchen spread his hands. “If the host wants to expel a guest, what can the guest do?”

Nie Xiaoqian snorted and recounted the true story in detail, but seeing that Chen Jianchen remained calm and unmoved, she pressed, “And yet you’re still not angry? If you had seized the opportunity to make a good impression at the pavilion, you might have soared to success. Now you’ve become a coward with a tarnished name.”

—Opportunities to present oneself before important people are rare; countless ambitious souls spend fortunes and exhaust themselves pulling strings, only to never meet their intended patron. That such a golden chance was sabotaged by a petty villain would leave anyone indignant, even prompting some to storm back and clear their name on the spot.

Yet this young man before her remained unruffled, tranquil as still water, showing not the slightest sign of anger.

This youth is truly out of the ordinary...

Nie Xiaoqian quietly made a judgment—after their outing in the countryside, she had already taken notice of Chen Jianchen’s remarkable performance. That was why, upon running into him in the street the other day, she had called out to him so unexpectedly, and why she had instructed her maid to ask him for a piece of calligraphy.

Tonight, Chen Jianchen once again left her with a new impression.

As the daughter of the Prefect, Nie Xiaoqian had met many people and was adept at reading character, yet she found herself unable to see through Chen Jianchen. Still, she knew he was neither a pedantic fool nor a sycophant—that alone was enough.

“Chen Jianchen, are you going home?”

She called him by his full name, a breach of etiquette, but she didn’t care; in fact, she found it more genuine than those stilted ‘young master’ addresses.

Perhaps with some people, Nie Xiaoqian was obliged to put on an act, but with Chen Jianchen, she had no desire to suppress her own bold nature.

In truth, what Nie Xiaoqian longed for deep down was to become one of those extraordinary women of legend who dared to love and hate freely—

Red Sash Lady, Nie Yinniang...

“Miss, where are you going?”

A voice called out urgently behind them.

Nie Xiaoqian turned to see her personal maid coming into view, with the silhouettes of guards appearing behind.

Oh no...

She cursed inwardly, then suddenly grabbed Chen Jianchen’s left hand and said, “If you’re going home, I’ll go with you for now to hide. Lead the way.”

She truly had training in lightfoot skills; as she moved, her silk shoes barely disturbed the dust, her graceful steps seemingly unbound by the earth beneath her, swift as if she were galloping on horseback.

Chen Jianchen was quite intrigued—he was in good shape himself, and had been diligently practicing Jeet Kune Do. But his martial training was for close combat, utterly incomparable to Nie Xiaoqian’s soaring and gliding lightfoot techniques; it was an eye-opening experience.

In the Tian Tong Dynasty, many people practiced martial arts, especially soldiers; in the wider world, there were even masters capable of scaling walls and rooftops.

These experts were different from the Daoist and Buddhist cultivators. Their focus was on martial prowess—fists, kicks, blades, and spears. A few might develop internal energy, but no matter how advanced, they remained mortals, worlds apart from those with profound cultivation.

And so, in the clear night and bustling streets, a young man and woman dashed away, arms linked, with shouts of pursuers echoing behind them.

The sight was both astonishing and puzzling, prompting onlookers to speculate, “Could those two be eloping? Their families must have found out and are giving chase…”

Elopement—the very word conjures romance. In ancient times, Sima Xiangru pursued his beloved with a zither, and Red Sash Lady scaled the walls by night…

But in truth, these were just stray thoughts flickering through Chen Jianchen’s mind.

—He felt awkward being held so close by Nie Xiaoqian, her fragrance drifting to his nose, making his spirits soar and his eyes widen. Sneaking a glance, he saw her jade-like face flushed a delicate pink, more enchanting than ever.

Sensing his gaze, Nie Xiaoqian’s blush deepened, spreading across her cheeks until, distracted at a turn, she nearly collided with a tree.

A sin indeed…

Chen Jianchen quickly banished such thoughts and focused on giving directions.

Unexpectedly, Nie Xiaoqian stopped abruptly, let go of his arm, and said with a hint of reproach, “You’d better go home by yourself.”

With that, she turned and left without hesitation.

Chen Jianchen called after her to no avail, looking around to find himself in unfamiliar surroundings, the place deserted and strange. He realized, to his dismay, that the so-called “eloping young man” might actually be lost.

That Nie Xiaoqian was truly irresponsible.