Chapter 137 - 112: Red Plums on White Snow, Strong Wine and Fragrant Meat

Chapter 137: Chapter 112: Red Plums on White Snow, Strong Wine and Fragrant Meat

But after living through two previous worlds, Chen Ye couldn’t muster the slightest interest in all this bullshit anymore.

He’d much rather be back in Sea Guardian Guard, singing opera and grinding experience in peace.

Over the next period, Chen Ye’s Profession experience continued to grow steadily. While he hadn’t reached Level 4 yet, he was getting close.

In the blink of an eye, the twelfth lunar month arrived, and Sea Guardian Guard welcomed its first snow of the winter.

Chen Ye sat alone in the heated room of his residence, a leisure book in hand. Snowflakes danced outside the window, blanketing the world in white. It was a rare moment of peace.

Ever since the affair with Yan Xun had been settled, business at the Guangle Building was booming. It was packed to the rafters every single day.

Even though Chen Ye only took the stage once a week, leaving the other performances to his fellow artists from the Qingchun Troupe like Tie Dan, the audience’s enthusiasm was impossible to contain.

This gave Chen Ye some rare leisure time. His days consisted of his usual vocal exercises and practice, reading, and feeding his koi.

And believe it or not, Chen Ye had fed these koi until they were astonishingly plump. Every visitor who saw them was amazed, and some even offered a fortune for them. But Chen Ye refused to sell, no matter the price.

’What a joke. It’s not like I’m short on money. Besides, these fish are so well-fed they’ve practically become spirits. The moment they hear my footsteps, they rush to the surface as if to greet me. How could I possibly bear to sell them?’

Just then, the sound of crisp laughter from beyond the courtyard gate broke Chen Ye’s train of thought.

"Is Boss Chen in?"

It was Lu Jinghong’s voice.

Chen Ye set down his book and rose to open the door. He found Lu Jinghong standing there with a young maidservant, a pretty picture in the swirling snow.

She was wearing a new red cloak, its hood trimmed with a ring of snow-white fox fur. The fur framed her delicate face, which was flushed pink from the cold, making her look like she was carved from jade. The tip of her nose was bright red, but her eyes shone with excitement.

"What brings you out in such heavy snow?" Chen Ye asked with a smile as he welcomed her inside.

"If I didn’t come, I was afraid you’d start growing mold in here!" Lu Jinghong took off her hood, patting the snowflakes from her clothes. She walked right over to the brazier and sat down, taking the hand warmer her maid offered her.

"My father says the plum blossoms on West Mountain have bloomed. There’s a place there called Jingyun Temple, and the Mei Lin outside, the plum grove, is one of the most beautiful sights in Sea Guardian Guard when it’s covered in snow. I’ve already made plans with Father, Uncle Qi, and the others to go see them. I thought you might be bored all alone, so I came to see if you wanted to join us?"

She looked up at Chen Ye, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Chen Ye considered it. He had been quite idle lately, so a trip out might be nice.

"Alright," he agreed readily.

"Wonderful!" Lu Jinghong nearly jumped for joy. "My father, Uncle Qi, and Nana are all waiting in the carriage! We’ve got plenty of food and wine packed. Let’s go!"

Soon, the group was seated in a spacious carriage, which went CREAKING on its way toward West Mountain outside the city.

Inside the carriage, the brazier burned brightly, filling the space with a cozy warmth.

Lu Jinghong and Qi Nana, the two young women, huddled together, chattering away about private matters and occasionally bursting into peals of bell-like laughter.

Mr. Lu and Qi Shihao sat with Chen Ye, discussing recent news and interesting events in Sea Guardian Guard. The atmosphere was lively and convivial.

The carriage reached a spot halfway up the mountain. A quaint Daoist Temple was nestled among green pines and cypresses. In front of it, a large expanse of the Mei Lin stood out against the white snow, its blossoms as red as fire, creating a uniquely serene and beautiful scene.

This was Jingyun Temple.

The moment they stepped out of the carriage, the temple gate opened. A Daoist Nun with a kindly face, dressed in a gray Daoist Robe, came out to greet them.

"Might you be Mr. Lu and Chief Qi? I am Jingxin. I have been expecting you."

This Jingxin Daoist Nun was in her forties or fifties. Her warm smile was as comforting as a spring breeze.

"You’re too kind, Daoist," Mr. Lu said with a smile, clasping his hands in a salute.

The Jingxin Daoist Nun warmly welcomed the group into the temple. She first arranged for Lu Jinghong and Qi Nana to rest in the women’s quarters in the rear courtyard. Then, she personally led Chen Ye, Mr. Lu, and Qi Shihao to a separate cottage beside the temple.

"Honored guests, the temple is occupied entirely by women, so it would be rather inconvenient. This cottage is quiet and private. Please, make yourselves comfortable here." Her words and actions were impeccable, her arrangements perfectly considered.

Mr. Lu and Qi Shihao were very impressed with her, repeatedly praising the Daoist for her thoughtfulness.

After settling in, the group set up a stove in a small pavilion within the Mei Lin outside the cottage. They gathered around the fire to warm their wine and roast meat.

Amidst the red plums and white snow, the air filled with the aroma of strong wine and fragrant meat. The group chatted and laughed, their spirits high.

The two young women, Lu Jinghong and Qi Nana, were lightweights. After just a few cups of wine, their faces were flushed like peach blossoms, making them look adorably winsome. Their maids helped them back into the temple to rest.

Only Chen Ye, Mr. Lu, and Chief Qi remained in the pavilion.

After a few more cups, Mr. Lu and Qi Shihao also began to feel tipsy and retired to their rooms.

Chen Ye, however, felt wide awake.

He walked to the window and pushed it open a crack. A cold wind carrying flurries of snow gusted in, clearing his head of the alcohol’s effects.

He looked out at the Mei Lin. For some reason, he felt the plum blossoms were unnaturally vibrant. ’And that red... it doesn’t look like the color of petals,’ he thought. ’It looks more like it’s been soaked in blood. The red is almost blinding.’

He focused his senses for a moment but detected no sinister or resentful energy. ’It must just be a special variety of plum blossom native to West Mountain,’ he concluded, and didn’t give it another thought.

But just then, the weather took a sudden turn.

What had been a light, gentle snowfall suddenly became a raging gale, making the window frames WHINE.

Then, a heavy, feathery snow began to fall, blanketing everything. In moments, the view outside the window became a blur as visibility plummeted.

A rare blizzard had arrived without warning.

Chen Ye’s brow furrowed. He was just about to go out and warn Mr. Lu and the others when he heard a faint CREAK from the cottage’s courtyard gate.

The sound was faint amidst the howling blizzard, yet it was unnervingly clear.

’Did someone just open the gate in this blizzard?’

With a flicker of movement, Chen Ye was instantly in the courtyard.

But the courtyard was empty. There was nothing but the swirling snow, not a soul in sight. Only the courtyard gate, now slightly ajar, swayed gently in the wind.

"Boss Chen, what is it?"

Mr. Lu and Qi Shihao, also startled awake by the sudden blizzard, pushed open their doors. Seeing Chen Ye standing in the courtyard with a solemn expression, they called out to him.

"Something isn’t right," Chen Ye said in a low voice. "Be careful, both of you. Stay alert and don’t wander off."

The two men immediately sobered, their expressions turning grim as they nodded.

Qi Shihao went so far as to draw the saber at his waist. His martial skill was mediocre at best, but it was better than nothing for bolstering his courage.

The blizzard intensified. In just one hour, the path up the mountain was completely blocked.

The coachman came scrambling through the blizzard to report. He said the snow was already past his knees; forget going down the mountain, they couldn’t even move the carriages.

They were all trapped on West Mountain.

At these words, the color drained from the faces of Mr. Lu and Qi Shihao.

Trapped on a desolate mountain by a blizzard... this was no laughing matter.

Just as panic began to set in, Chen Ye remained exceptionally calm.

"What’s there to panic about?" His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a convincing authority. "Move all the food and charcoal inside. Block the gaps in the doors and windows to keep the heat from escaping. Coachman, circle the carriages, lead them to a downwind spot, and cover them well with oilcloths. Don’t let the horses get sick from the cold."

He gave his orders methodically. His string of commands miraculously calmed everyone’s frayed nerves, and they immediately, if clumsily, scrambled into action.

The Jingxin Daoist Nun was also very cooperative. She bustled about, helping to move supplies and instructing the other Daoist Nuns in the temple to boil water, showing great attentiveness.

After a flurry of activity, everyone was finally settled in again.

But the blizzard outside showed no sign of letting up.

Having worked for the better part of the day, everyone was exhausted and went back to sleep.

In the temple’s women’s quarters, Lu Jinghong and Qi Nana shared a bed.

Though it was freezing outside, the doors and windows in their room had been sealed tightly with strips of cloth, so it wasn’t uncomfortably cold.

Lu Jinghong, for her part, felt a strange sense of excitement.

’Being trapped on this mountain with Chen Ye... does this count as... sharing a hardship together?’

As her thoughts ran wild, a blush crept onto her cheeks. A long while later, she finally drifted off into a sweet, heavy slumber.

But the moment she fell asleep, she plunged into a bizarre and fantastical dream.

She heard the piercing cry of suonas and the clamor of gongs and drums. A wedding procession was slowly making its way toward the Daoist Temple.