Chapter Sixty-Nine: The First Kiss

Amid the wild grasses of East Mountain, the graves of every household lay scattered in chaotic disorder. Only the Liu family’s burial mounds appeared relatively neat; all the other solitary graves exuded a poignant sense of desolation and sorrow from their broken, untended state.

Villagers had come to pay their respects, moving among the graves. Most of those interred here had succumbed to hunger, disease, or bandit attacks. Now that the bandits of Panlong Ridge had been vanquished, many villagers, sharing the same sentiments as Qi Jun, had come to honor their ancestors.

Qi Jun, Yun Fei, and Deng Fang knelt solemnly before two graves. Qi Jun reached out to pull the wild grass from the front of the mounds, carefully arranging the offerings.

“Father, Mother, I’ve come to see you. I have avenged you,” Qi Jun said, lighting three sticks of incense and placing them before the graves. He used stones to form a circle and ignited a small fire within.

“Mr. Qi, Mother Liu, Yun Fei has come to see you as well,” Yun Fei said, her eyes red as she picked up a stack of spirit money, threw it onto the fire, and watched it burn.

“My name is Deng Fang. Qi Jun is my elder brother. Uncle and Aunt Qi, from now on, you are my parents too,” Deng Fang said, deeply moved by the scene, whether by memories of his own parents or the emotions of Qi Jun and Yun Fei; tears streamed down his face.

Qi Jun knelt before the graves, recounting the events of recent days, sharing his plans and hopes. The withered grass atop the mounds swayed gently in the wind, as if his departed parents could feel his devotion and responded in kind.

Only after half an hour had passed did Qi Jun and the others bow several times to the graves and rise to leave.

On the way back, Qi Jun felt much lighter. It was as though the heavy burden he had carried was finally laid to rest; he had accomplished the first of his long-planned goals.

As they reached the entrance of the village, Sun Jiu had already gathered the county guards and was waiting.

“Brother Jun, are you leaving again?” Yun Fei glanced at the group behind Sun Jiu, gazing at Qi Jun with deep affection.

“Yes, there are still things to finish in the county town. I need to reclaim the old Qi family estate,” Qi Jun said, gently touching Yun Fei’s hair, reluctant to part.

“Go ahead. Be careful outside, don’t be so reckless. I’ll wait for you to come back…” Yun Fei sighed softly, pressed Qi Jun’s hand to her cheek, and held it there.

“Sir, it’s time to depart. It’s not as if we’ll never see each other again. When we get to the city, I’ll find one for you as well…” Sun Jiu, watching from the side, was reminded of his own lonely existence and couldn’t help but feel a pang of melancholy, deliberately teasing Qi Jun.

“Get lost!” Qi Jun turned to curse him, worried Yun Fei might take it to heart. He quickly turned back to her and said, “Don’t listen to his nonsense. No other girl could ever catch my eye but you.”

Yun Fei burst out laughing. “Why are you so flustered, Brother Jun? Did Captain Sun hit the mark? If you really have someone, just bring her back. There are already forty, what’s a few more? As if I’m so precious to you…”

“Why bring that up again? Haven’t I explained it to you already?” Qi Jun looked helpless, thinking how women in every era never let go of certain things.

“I don’t believe you…” Yun Fei smiled and turned away, waving for him to hurry and leave.

Qi Jun looked at Yun Fei, feeling as though the word “adorable” was written across her face. Seizing the moment, he cupped her cheeks and kissed her quickly on her crimson lips.

“Now do you believe me? I’ve given you my first kiss!” Qi Jun laughed, feeling triumphant at his unexpected success.

Yun Fei was stunned by Qi Jun’s sudden move, staring blankly at him.

Sun Jiu and Deng Fang behind Qi Jun were equally astonished. They had never seen a scholar behave so boldly in broad daylight, teasing a girl before everyone.

“Brother Jun, there are so many people!” Yun Fei finally came to her senses, covering her face in embarrassment, wishing she could disappear into the cracks beneath her feet.

“Let’s go!” Qi Jun mounted his horse swiftly, signaling the group to depart, and rode off at the head.

“Right… let’s go!” Sun Jiu exchanged a glance with Deng Fang, mounted their horses, and hurried after Qi Jun.

Yun Fei watched Qi Jun’s departing figure through her fingers until the county guards’ convoy vanished into the hills. She turned back to the village, her heart heavy with longing.

Yet, as she recalled Qi Jun’s sudden kiss, her heart raced, and a sweet smile crept onto her lips.

“Brother Jun, I truly admire you,” Deng Fang said, riding alongside Qi Jun and bowing in sincere praise.

“It’s nothing,” Qi Jun replied with a smile, glancing at Deng Fang without much concern.

What he had done to Yun Fei would be considered inconsequential in later times, but here, it was a serious breach of propriety. If a woman reported such behavior to the authorities, a beating from the constables was almost inevitable.

“Though you two are clearly devoted, you haven’t married Yun Fei yet, have you? If it were somewhere private, perhaps it wouldn’t matter, but just now… it was a bit improper,” Deng Fang said, his concern evident.

“Why do you care so much, Deng Fang? You’re acting suspicious, let me tell you! Whether she’s married or not, that’s a matter of days,” Qi Jun retorted, frowning at Deng Fang, though inwardly full of complaints.

Is it really so troublesome to court someone in ancient times? You can’t meet often, can’t hold hands in public, can’t show affection…

Restraint has its charm, and distance can foster beauty, but these endless rules are more like barriers than subtlety!

If it were in modern times, even middle schoolers could turn romance into an art, yet here, two adults must remain so reserved.

“No wonder the population was small in ancient times…” Qi Jun sighed in resignation.

The three continued at a leisurely pace and arrived at the county town by midday.

The guard captain at the city gate was the same one Qi Jun and Liu Kui had encountered last time when they came to rescue someone.

Seeing Qi Jun ride up, the captain’s expression changed.

Qi Jun had not shown his face when he went out with County Inspector Feng to suppress the bandits. When the chief captain led the attack on Panlong Ridge with Qi Jun, this guard captain was patrolling the city, so he had never met Qi Jun.

“Master Deng, Captain Sun, you’ve returned from official business?” the captain hurried forward to greet them, pointedly ignoring Qi Jun.

“Thank you, Captain Xiao! It was bandit suppression again. We’re back today to report to the chief,” Sun Jiu replied, dismounting and exchanging a few pleasantries.

“Hey, you—stop right there! Get off your horse!” But as Sun Jiu and Deng Fang took a few steps, Captain Xiao’s angry shout rang out behind them.

They quickly turned their horses around to see Qi Jun blocked by Captain Xiao. Unlike the captain’s show of authority and anger, Qi Jun remained calm, unperturbed.

“Damn it, even a poor scholar dares to act high and mighty before me!” Captain Xiao snarled, drawing his sword and pressing it threateningly before Qi Jun.