121. Wu You Finally Reveals Her True Identity

Shen Mansion, Xi Garden, Chuyun Terrace.

"Sister, can you understand what I'm saying?" Lu Jin asked. Shen Yanyun had been coming over frequently these past few days to listen to his lessons.

"I can understand the stories," Shen Yanyun replied with a smile. The concepts Lu Jin had been explaining were actually quite straightforward—easier to grasp than the intricacies of Go—yet they were difficult to fully internalize.

Well, you are a good listener.

"Listening to stories is fine, too. Sister, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me at any time. The same goes for you, Miss Tantai." Fearing that they might be too shy to ask as young ladies, Lu Jin made a point to clarify.

"Then, Master Lu, do you know where in the Great Liang one might find dinosaur fossils?" Ever since she first heard about dinosaurs, Tantai Yue had been obsessed with the idea. If such things could truly be found, wouldn't that prove everything Lu Jin said was true?

Lu Jin: (⊙O⊙) Why must she be so persistent?

"The discovery of fossils is inherently a matter of chance. Some people might find large bones or even a massive skull, but not knowing what they are, they might simply discard them. Others are fused into the rock and are quite difficult to spot..."

Lu Jin quite enjoyed his current state; despite his mediocre level of knowledge, he had somehow become a master scholar.

"Nianqing, what are dinosaurs?" Shen Yanyun hadn't attended that particular lesson, so she was curious about Tantai Yue's question.

Lu Jin: ...This was not something that could be explained in a few sentences, and the Tantai siblings as well as Wu You had already heard it.

"Sister, this isn't something I can explain quickly. I'll find time to tell you about it in detail later."

"Very well." A faint blush crept across Shen Yanyun’s cheeks, making her look even more radiant in the midday sun.

"By the way, Ziyu, when are you returning to Jinling?" Lu Jin asked, shifting to the matter at hand.

"I was just about to tell Nianqing. I am leaving tomorrow, and I will return as quickly as I can," Tantai Ming replied, snapping out of his chaotic thoughts.

Things regarding the brewing bureau were mostly settled, but there wasn't enough capital in Jianglin, so he needed to coordinate with his family. There were also several other matters waiting to be discussed back home, requiring his prompt return.

"I see. How do you intend to travel?"

"On my family's ship."

"Are there family guards on board?"

"Of course. The Lan River is not peaceful these days; I have brought guards with me." Tantai Ming felt a flicker of confusion. Is Nianqing truly this concerned for me? I am genuinely touched!

"How many guards?"

"About fifty or sixty are returning with me. Do not worry, Nianqing. Although the Lan River is restless, the river bandits are not yet bold enough to target the large vessels of noble families." Nianqing is truly a man of deep affection and loyalty; he even concerns himself with such trivial details.

Hearing this, Lu Jin finally felt at ease.

"My younger brother, Wu You, lives in Wujiang. Could I trouble you, Ziyu, to take him along with you?" Lu Jin asked.

It was only yesterday that Lu Jin learned Wujiang was not far from Jinling. His primary concern was the lack of safety on the Lan River.

Tantai Ming: (⊙ꇴ⊙) I was touched for nothing? You're just worried about your "brother"?

"Big Brother, I can return on my own," Wu You interjected from the side.

"That is certainly no problem. It will be good to have company on the journey." Tantai Ming found it difficult to refuse, even though he felt the relationship between Wu You and Lu Jin was strange.

"Don't worry about it, Big Brother. Ziyu has strong men and sturdy horses; you two will be well-traveled together," Lu Jin said, settling the matter.

"By the way, Nianqing, I would like to ask a favor of you as well. I need to make a quick trip and return, so I will leave my sister here in Jianglin. I would appreciate it if you could look after her."

Lu Jin: (⊙ꇴ⊙) Is this appropriate? I give you a brother, and you give me a sister?

"In that case, why doesn't Yue'er move in with me? We girls can keep each other company," Shen Yanyun suggested, stepping in just as Lu Jin was feeling awkward.

"Yes, exactly! That will make attending lessons more convenient, and Ziyu can rest assured," Lu Jin quickly added.

"Then I shall trouble you, Sister Yun," Tantai Yue said gratefully.

"It is no trouble at all. I would be delighted to have you," Shen Yanyun replied with the grace of a mature elder sister.

"Then I leave her in your care, Miss Shen." Tantai Ming had originally wanted to ask this of Shen Yanyun but had found it awkward to bring up. Now that it had worked out so perfectly, he felt entirely at ease.

"Good. Then it is settled. The main task for this period is building the workshop, so it is good for you to return and finalize those matters, Ziyu. Also, if there are any talents you can bring back, do so. We are in need of them," Lu Jin reminded him.

"Rest assured, Nianqing. I have it under control."

***

The next day, Lu Jin and Shen Yanxi went to the Jianglin docks to see them off.

At the pier, Wu You clung to Lu Jin’s sleeve, reluctant to part. Lu Jin could only offer gentle words of comfort.

"Spend more time with Grandmother when you get back. Don't worry about me here. If you come back, bring plenty of men; the Lan River is very chaotic right now."

Shen Yanxi could only pretend not to see, busying herself by talking to her sister and Tantai Yue.

Tantai Ming could not make sense of this. A perfectly fine young woman insisted on dressing as a man, clinging to Lu Jin like this, and Shen Yanxi didn't even care.

Even the usually indifferent Tantai Yue began to wonder. Was Lu Nianqing being too dismissive of the Second Miss Shen? How could he stand there and weep with another woman right in front of her? Yet, she felt it wasn't her place to speak.

"Don't worry, Big Brother. I will return as soon as I settle things."

Tantai Ming: @_@a I don't understand, I just don't understand!

"No rush. Oh, and You'ran, keep your sword with you at all times, never let it leave your side..." Lu Jin was thinking that in case of an emergency, Wu You needed to be able to defend herself.

Tantai Ming: (⊙ꇴ⊙) Who are you guarding against?

Even the longest farewell must eventually come to an end. As the ship pulled away from the shore, Lu Jin felt as though something had been hollowed out of his heart.

Wu You stood at the edge of the deck, waving goodbye with a smile, her hand resting on her long sword, looking like a wandering swordswoman of the jianghu.

But Lu Jin, waving back, felt his eyes sting. The journey was arduous, and he feared they wouldn't meet again for several months. He prayed for her safety.

"Miss, we can no longer see Master Lu," the maid behind her whispered, seeing Wu You still standing motionless.

Tantai Ming: (⊙ꇴ⊙) What is going on? Is she not going to keep up the pretense now?

"Does Master Tantai have a question for me?" A cool voice drifted over.

Tantai Ming looked over. Wu You seemed like a different person now. Her expression was indifferent, her aura imposing. She was no longer the woman who had been weeping while clinging to Lu Jin.

"Miss Wu, I do have some doubts. You are clearly a woman, yet you and Nianqing address each other as brothers? Does the Shen family also believe you are a man?" Since the matter was out in the open, Tantai Ming asked directly.

"Because I told my Big Brother that I am a man!"

Tantai Ming: (⊙ꇴ⊙) And he just believed you?

"And I made my Big Brother believe that I am a man." Wu You kept her face expressionless, staring at the dock that was long since out of sight.

Tantai Ming: (⊙ꇴ⊙)

How is that possible? Is Nianqing that blind? Are the Shen family members also that blind? Does the whole family have vision problems?

Could anything be more absurd?

"Thank you, Master Tantai, for the escort. I hope you will keep this secret for me."

Tantai Ming was full of questions. He wanted to ask more, but he noticed Wu You had already retreated into the cabin.

Tantai Ming was not only confused, but his doubts had only grown. This trip to Jianglin felt like encountering ghosts; everyone he met was more outrageous than the last.

***

As the Tantai family was a top-tier noble house, and Wu You was Lu Jin's "brother," the cabin Tantai Ming arranged was naturally of the highest quality.

"Miss, this servant deserves to die!" As soon as they entered the cabin, the maid knelt.

Her mistress was accustomed to walking the jianghu in male attire, constantly switching between genders, which often left the servants bewildered. She had completely forgotten about Master Tantai standing nearby and only realized her mistake after the words had slipped out.

"It is fortunate that I usually do not bring you with me when I am with Big Brother, otherwise this would have been exposed long ago," Wu You sighed.

"Get up. Perhaps it is for the best that it is out in the open; it will save us from further awkwardness on the journey." Wu You did not reprimand her further.

As she spoke, Wu You placed her long sword on the table. The maid hurried to hang it on the cabin wall.

"Don't hang it up, leave it here!" Wu You said urgently.

The maid was startled—why was she making so many mistakes today? She lowered her head and placed the sword back where it was.

Wu You then took a finger-sized, gourd-shaped water skin from her sleeve and placed it on the table. The skin was soft, made of an unknown material.

"I won't be needing this for a while, put it away."

The maid’s mouth twitched. Her mistress’s thoughts and actions were truly unfathomable.

Wu You ignored the maid, loosened her belt, and threw her outer robe onto the table. With a few quick motions, she unfastened her inner shirt, revealing skin as clear and lustrous as jade.

The maid stepped forward to unwind the chest-binding cloth from her mistress's body. Wu You unwound it several times before it finally came off.

The moment the fabric fell away, her chest was revealed. The maid couldn't help but swallow hard.

"Phew! I've been stifled these past few days." Wu You felt a sense of relief she had never known before. To avoid being discovered by Lu Jin, she hadn't even dared to remove the bindings at night, fearing her Big Brother might come to find her.

"Miss, why must you go to such lengths?" The maid looked at the welts on Wu You's body, her eyes tearing up with heartache.

"Scholars are often fickle. You saved him and were devoted to him, yet he went and married someone else. You make yourself suffer so much, and he only treats you as a man," the maid grumbled while helping Wu You untangle her hair.

When the jade hairpin and cap were removed, Wu You shook her head, and her dark, waterfall-like hair cascaded down. Even more stunning than before, she possessed the true essence of a Jiangnan daughter—exquisitely carved and full of charm.

"I cannot blame Big Brother; it is just how fate plays with people." As she changed into her female attire, Wu You's eyes grew distant. Scenes of her time with Lu Jin flashed through her mind.

She had first met him on a night in Shangqing, when he was being beaten half to death by river bandits in an alley. She had saved him and had her servants care for him for a few days until he recovered. She still wondered why he was always entangled with such men.

She had seen the elegance of noble youths and the wild freedom of jianghu travelers, but she had never seen a man so shy and inarticulate, unable to even say "thank you" without blushing and looking away.

He had clearly noticed she was a woman in disguise, yet he never asked, simply calling her "Brother Wu" every chance he got. When she joked that she was younger and he should be the elder, he never questioned it.

Big Brother didn't know that her parents had only one son—her eldest brother—and that the other four children were all daughters, with her being the youngest. Her Big Brother had left with their father for official duties long ago. When she was a child, she often saw Grandmother mourning the lack of sons. To comfort her, she would dress in boy's clothes and tease, "I can be a boy, too," making Grandmother laugh. Later, she grew accustomed to it. As she grew older, she often wandered the jianghu in male attire, using her martial arts to right wrongs.

Her father and brother were away most of the time, so she had never had any close relationships with other men. Having seen the ugliness of human nature in the jianghu, she was extremely cautious and never spoke of her family background. Perhaps it was because she saw how weak and shy Lu Jin was that she finally let her guard down.

They stayed in Shangqing for a few days, and their relationship grew naturally. He didn't pry into her secrets; instead, he followed her lead and cared for her deeply. It was a feeling she had never experienced before.

She left Shangqing, but this timid, frail man had walked into her heart.

She dared not harbor too many expectations. Regardless of how he felt, the gap in their status made her afraid to reveal her true self.

When she heard he had passed the examinations as the top candidate, she wanted to find him. She hadn't expected to find him in such a state, with a beauty by his side and a look of absolute determination. Heartbroken and not wanting to appear pathetic, she had insisted on maintaining her male guise.

If only she had been decisive and left back then. But would she really have been without regrets?

Thinking of his sincerity—his words about how it didn't matter if she was a man or a woman—she wondered just how much of it was true. In the absurdity of it all, they had become "brothers." He had braved the strange looks of others to protect her as if she were his own flesh and blood. Even now, returning to Wujiang, he was full of worry, giving her endless instructions.

The timid, shy Lu Nanqing was gone, replaced by a more dazzling, yet even more sincere Big Brother.

As she thought, the corners of her mouth curled upward, and large tears began to fall.

*The mountains have trees, and the trees have branches; I cherish you, yet you do not know.*