A Lonesome Fragrance Waiting to be Appreciated 1

49

The sun was bright, the scent of spring was getting stronger and stronger. The door bead curtain tinkled at Lingdang's departure, glittering in the sunlight. At that moment, Pingting remembered the blinds at Hua Residence.

She and Lady Hua hid behind blinds, secretly peering at their guests.

That, was the time she first saw Chu Beijie.

Being the only one in the room made it feel cold, so cold that even Pingting couldn't think too much about the past. After getting out of bed and finding her brush, she slowly brushed her long black hair beside the window, keeping her eyes on the vibrant colours of the outside world.

Red and purple flowers were half open. Lush green grass grew beside the pond. Though it was beautiful, everything was unfamiliar.

It was not the Jing-An Ducal Residence nor Zhen-Bei Ducal Residence.

"Get on the horse with me and say good bye to He Xia. From then on, you will no longer be called Bai Pingting, you will be Chu."

"You only thought of Chu Beijie; you forgot about Gui Le. When you accepted Departed Soul, did you ever think that it was only for the symbol of peace between two countries, for all the peasants?"

She frowned, like she really wanted to end her life as soon as possible, her hands were clutched tightly to her chest while she looked back at the precious sword beside her bed.

Departed Soul.

She left Chu Beijie, but she could no longer return to the Jing-An Ducal Residence. How did she, Bai Pingting, who was the most trusted maid of the Marquess of Jing-An, the experienced female military advisor, the girl who gained five years of peace for Gui Le, end up being a lonely spirit?

"Pingting," came Dongzhuo's voice somewhere behind her, "You were looking for me?"

Pingting put down her brush, turned around, her lips already forming a smile. "I want to tell you something."

Dongzhuo looked a bit startled, he hadn't seen Pingting for several days. He had been busy, but he still knew that something was worrying her. Seeing his friend so distraught made his playful smile disappear, replaced by a more serious, adult-like face. He lowered his head, "Tell me."

"I'm leaving."

Dongzhuo's heart sank at these two words.

"Leaving?" He jerked his head up, drilling into Pingting's black eyes. He forgot about all of his previous problems. He seemed to jolt up, pushing down the words he really wanted to say. Then he asked awkwardly, "Does Master know?"

Pingting chuckled softly, leaned against the windowsill, waving her hand. "Dongzhuo, come closer." Clutching onto Dongzhuo's hand, she carefully thought through what she was going to say. "Geez, you always call me Pingting this, Pingting that, but I'm actually older than you by a couple of months. You should be calling me 'Sis'."

Dongzhuo was so upset that he forcibly mumbled "Sis" through gritted teeth.

"Good boy," Pingting actually did pretend to act like an older sister, lecturing. "The hardest thing for people to do is to know when to attack and when to retreat. That day, I attacked Chu Beijie. But today, it is time for me to retreat."

"But you are a person of the Jing-An Ducal Residence, besides, where can you go? The King is attacking all the people serving the House of Jing-An, you included, and Chu Beijie will definitely hunt for you."

"I have my own plans."

Dongzhuo's pent-up frustration finally exploded, "I know Master's suspicious of you. I'll tell Master that you're a good person."

"You mustn't go."

"I can't stand it, Master's the one at fault here. If he stays like this, he'll be just as bad as our King, right?"

"Stop!" Pingting grabbed him, emphasising every word. "Master has the right to be suspicious."

Dongzhuo stopped immediately, frowning. "What? I don't think you have loyalties outside of our residence"

Pingting looked startled for a moment, but then she sighed. "You won't understand even if I tell you. Anyway, when I'm gone, say that my leaving is for the best. For the entire residence, for Master and for me. Master is in a tight spot at the moment, yet I cannot help him nor can I upset him."

"How can you upset Master?"

"Dongzhuo..." Pingting looked at him tenderly, but with a bitter smile, "Think of it like this. Master cannot neglect me due to my service but cannot relax around me due to my suspicious actions. He doesn't dare to look after, harm or make me sad. Sigh, I feel really sorry for Master."

"But if you go......"