Love on the Turquoise Land

Nie Jiuluo closed the photo album and carried a bowl of soup to the half-open window.

The rain was pouring down. In the center of the courtyard, a massive dark shadow swayed violently in the storm—a three-meter-tall osmanthus tree.

Nie Jiuluo felt a pang of worry. The golden autumn osmanthus fragrance was just around the corner. Just a couple of days ago, Sister Lu had mentioned that once the flowers bloomed, she would start collecting petals to make osmanthus sugar and jam. But with this fierce wind and heavy rain, she feared the entire tree’s blossoms might be ruined.

Her phone, resting on the workbench, buzzed with a new message.

Nie Jiuluo heard it but ignored it, leisurely finishing her silver ear mushroom soup before going over to check.

Burn after reading. It was actually from Natou .

Hadn’t everything been settled already? Why were they contacting her again? Nie Jiuluo frowned, hesitating for a few seconds before opening the message.

— Urgent. Call me.

Nie Jiuluo froze. Thinking back, she had never seen the word urgent in any of Natou’s messages before.

She replied with a single Okay .

This was their agreed-upon rule: no matter how dire the situation, direct contact was forbidden until the other party gave consent.

The call came from Jiang Baichuan, his tone grave and straight to the point. “Nie Er, Yan Tuo has escaped.”

The name Yan Tuo sounded almost unfamiliar to Nie Jiuluo.

Fortunately, she quickly recalled who he was, grasped the meaning of those words, and immediately realized just how much trouble Yan Tuo’s escape would bring her.

A surge of fury rose in her chest. She wished she could squeeze into the phone receiver, follow the line to the other side, and smash the idiot’s head in.

Useless teammates. Trash. Working with people like this was nothing but a stroke of terrible luck.

“When did this happen? How did he escape?”

Jiang Baichuan gave a rough account of the incident.

Over the past two weeks, aside from keeping Yan Tuo imprisoned, there had been no progress whatsoever. Everyone was growing impatient.

Then, just a couple of days ago, something new emerged—a missing person notice began circulating through unofficial channels in Ankai City. Someone had posted a reward for information on Yan Tuo. The cleaning crew stationed at Banya got greedy and decided to make contact, hoping for a breakthrough.

Jiang Baichuan blamed himself. “This is my fault for not considering things thoroughly. Banya doesn’t have anyone capable of handling this right now. Da Tou and the others are inexperienced. They must’ve given themselves away during the contact, and the other side tailed them back to Banya.”

People were divided into ranks, intelligence into levels. There was no point blaming anyone—some were just stupid, just slow. What could you do?

“Did only Yan Tuo escape, or is everyone gone?”

Jiang Baichuan let out a bitter laugh. “Once they tracked us down, they took the whole pot. Why would they only rescue one?”

“And then? Any losses? Any casualties?”

Jiang Baichuan hesitated. “The pig farm was burned down. It happened at midnight, during the Zi-Wu shift . Hua Saozi was bringing food to Sun Zhou and ran right into it. She’s severely burned. Still alive for now, but… the outlook isn’t good.”

The pig farm was Banya’s privately-run prison, also called the Owl’s Nest . It was built underground, with an actual pig farm and slaughterhouse above ground. This setup had two advantages: first, pigsties were filthy, so ordinary people avoided them; second, any unusual noises could be dismissed as slaughterhouse activity, making it easier to conceal their operations.

As for the Zi-Wu shift , that was the feeding time for the Earth Owls —they ate twice a day, at high noon and midnight."The others were fine, sleeping in the middle of the night, scattered and far from the pig farm, so they avoided it. Then there's Ma Hanzi, who saw a car entering the village and went to question them. He was grabbed by the head and knocked unconscious—mild concussion."

Nie Jiuluo listened quietly until now before finally saying, "His mind wasn't good to begin with."

Jiang Baichuan sighed, "Yeah, this hit made him even dumber... Hua Saozi is being taken care of by her distant relatives now. As for our people, especially those Yan Tuo has seen, I’ve ordered them to 'disappear' for at least six months. That way, no matter how the other side investigates, the trail will stop at Banya."

Nie Jiuluo remarked, "Of course, it's easy for you all to disappear."

People like Hua Saozi and Da Tou weren’t their real names, nor were they local residents of Banya. In the vast sea of people, once they vanished from sight, they were effectively "gone."

Jiang Baichuan sounded awkward, "Nie Er, what about you? Should you lay low too?"

Nie Jiuluo shot back, "How? I’m an ordinary person—real name, real assets. Where would I hide?"

Jiang Baichuan quickly replied, "Don’t worry, we’ll arrange it."

"Even if you perfectly arrange my disappearance, how long would it last? Am I supposed to stay hidden forever?"

Jiang Baichuan fell silent for a long moment. "Or... I could send a few people to keep an eye on you discreetly?"

Nie Jiuluo scoffed, her breath laced with disdain. She truly doubted Jiang Baichuan’s people could protect her. If trouble came, who would be protecting whom?

Jiang Baichuan, repeatedly rebuffed, sighed helplessly. "You really shouldn’t have let him know your real identity back then."

So now it was her fault?

The angrier Nie Jiuluo got, the softer her tone became. "I told you, I’m an ordinary person. What’s there to hide about an ordinary name? Besides, I never imagined that someone handed over to you could just... fly away."

Jiang Baichuan flushed with embarrassment and muttered, "Then... what do you think? Yan Tuo suffered a lot this time. Seems like he holds a grudge against you now."

Nie Jiuluo sneered, "Of course. Did you expect him to fall in love with me after this?"

On the other end, Jiang Baichuan went silent again.

Outside the window, the rain grew heavier. The raindrops near the glass were slanted by the wind, glinting under the light.

Since things had come to this, venting at Jiang Baichuan was pointless. Nie Jiuluo finally said, "Let me think about it. I’ll contact you later."

After hanging up, she stood by the window for a long while, her mind tangled in a mess she couldn’t unravel anytime soon.

With nothing else to do, she decided to take the empty dishes down to Sister Lu.

The eastern side of the courtyard housed the kitchen. Given the spacious layout, the old-style stove area had been preserved. Sister Lu, having grown up in the countryside tending to firewood and stoves, preferred the traditional hearth with its large iron pot and wooden lid over the fully equipped modern kitchen next to it. She often told Nie Jiuluo, "Rice steamed in an iron pot is fragrant, with crispy scorched rice at the bottom. Corn roasted in the hearth is a hundred times tastier than from an oven."

Nie Jiuluo didn’t mind. She only cared about eating, not cooking or cleaning. Sister Lu could use whichever kitchen she liked.

When she had nothing to do, Nie Jiuluo would sit in the hearth kitchen. The old-fashioned furnishings gave her a sense of timeless peace—as if the years stood still, and the world outside didn’t matter. Sitting on a small wooden stool, she could almost forget what era she was in.If Sister Lu happened to be cooking in the kitchen, it was even more delightful. The aroma of food has always been a comfort to the soul since ancient times.

...

Sister Lu was wiping down the stove in the kitchen when she saw Nie Jiuluo walk in carrying plates and bowls. She hurried over to take them: "Miss Nie, you didn’t have to bring these down yourself. You could’ve just left them there, and I’d have picked them up."

Even though they were quite familiar with each other, Sister Lu still insisted on addressing her as "Miss Nie." After all, it was a professional relationship, and this was a matter of courtesy.

With her hands now free, Nie Jiuluo sat down on the small stool by the stove.

Sister Lu observed her expression: "Work not going well?"

In her eyes, Nie Jiuluo was practically a winner in life—young, beautiful, talented, and successful. If anything was bothering her, it could only be minor setbacks at work or creative blocks.

Nie Jiuluo said, "No."

She ran her fingers through her hair, combing it haphazardly a few times. "I have some relatives back in my hometown—distant relatives. They’re not exactly up to anything respectable, and I barely have any contact with them."

Sister Lu listened attentively. The fact that her employer was confiding in her made her feel respected—many who hired domestic help looked down on them or treated them like servants.

"But it’s not easy to cut ties completely. Because of things from the older generation, I owe them a lot of money."

Sister Lu couldn’t help but ask, "How much are we talking? You still haven’t paid it all back by now?"

Nie Jiuluo didn’t answer. "With debts, it’s hard to avoid staying in touch. I thought once the debts were cleared, we could go our separate ways. But now they’ve gotten into trouble..."

Sister Lu grew nervous—

"And they’ve all run off, leaving me exposed," Nie Jiuluo laughed. "You get what I mean, right? Their enemies will come after me now. I’m the only target left."

Sister Lu understood. "Then... is it serious? If it is, maybe you should call the police and explain the situation. You shouldn’t have to take the blame for them, right?"

Nie Jiuluo stared at the large iron pot on the stove. It was so big—just a little bigger, and she could "stew herself in it."

She said, "It’s not a matter for the police... As for the blame, whether I take it or not, it’s already stuck to me."

Jiang Baichuan hung up the phone.

While on the call, he had been smiling, his tone conciliatory and placating, even leaning forward slightly as if trying to curry favor from a distance.

But the moment the call ended, his expression, posture, and demeanor all changed. It was as though he was still the same person, yet had grown an entirely new skeleton.

He tossed his phone aside carelessly and leaned closer to the bathroom mirror, meticulously combing through the hair at his temples, strand by strand.

During dinner earlier, Da Tou had mentioned spotting a white hair at his temple. Was it true? Really?

Found it!

There really was one—just a single strand, but glaringly obvious, nestled neatly among his jet-black dyed hair.

Jiang Baichuan froze for a moment, then reached out to pluck it. Midway, he suddenly sensed something and turned around to see Que Cha leaning against the bathroom doorframe.

The bathroom was lit, but the light from the outer room was even brighter. She wore a crimson silk robe, the brilliance behind her casting her face into a blur. At first glance, she looked like a dazzling red flower.

Jiang Baichuan frowned. "When did you come up here?"

To make the call in private, he had deliberately gone up to the third floor—this villa was his personal property, with four levels including the basement. The bedrooms and bathrooms on this floor were for guests, and aside from the cleaning staff, no one usually came up here.It was unclear how long she had been standing there or what she had overheard. Jiang Baichuan turned his gaze back to the mirror, carefully plucking the white hair. "Also, always wearing red—don’t you find it eerie? Female ghosts in red are fiercer than others."

As he spoke, he applied a bit more force—

The hair came out, leaving his temples dark and smooth again, which put his mind at ease.

Que Cha asked, "That Nie the Second—is it a man or a woman? Is Nie their real surname? Probably fake, right?"

Jiang Baichuan’s expression darkened. "Don’t pry into things that aren’t your concern."

Que Cha acted as if she hadn’t heard him. "If she finds out you’re scheming against her, you’ll be in trouble too, won’t you?"

Jiang Baichuan frowned. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Que Cha snorted, unafraid of him. "I heard everything that night at the hotel—you talking about going along with the plan, letting things take their course... If you hadn’t deliberately turned a blind eye, how could Yan Tuo’s accomplices have found Banya so easily..."

Jiang Baichuan snapped, "Enough!"

Que Cha was startled. When she spoke again, her voice was full of grievance, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "So it’s my fault? You’re sneaking around doing things—why didn’t you tell Hua Saozi? She even played mahjong with me at the same table, and now she’s just... gone..."

Jiang Baichuan knew he was in the wrong and softened his tone. "She’s not dead yet... Some things just shouldn’t be shared with too many people. It was her fate to face this calamity—whether she went early or late wouldn’t have mattered. Who knew it would happen right when she was delivering food?"

As he spoke, he stepped forward and reached out to wrap an arm around Que Cha’s waist. She struggled and dodged but couldn’t avoid him, ending up in his embrace. Still, she wasn’t willing to let their days-long cold war end so abruptly, so she kept her face stern and refused to look at him.

Jiang Baichuan coaxed her. "After all these days, you’re still angry? Are you a bicycle pump or something? Once you start venting, it never ends."

Que Cha couldn’t hold back a laugh. "You’re the bicycle pump."

Peace was finally restored. Jiang Baichuan’s words carried a hidden warning. "Que Cha, some things must never be spoken carelessly."

Que Cha rolled her eyes. "Relax, I’m not stupid. I’ll only say these things in front of you—I won’t even mention them to anyone else. Yan Tuo escaped. That Nie the Second must be furious, huh?"

Que Cha had only a vague understanding of this Nie the Second.

According to Jiang Baichuan, Nie the Second and he were akin to kin—their ancestors had practiced the same trade, one so ancient it could be traced back to the origins of humanity. It wasn’t exactly honorable, but neither was it outright evil, falling outside the conventional 360 trades. Strictly speaking, it belonged to the "Outer Eight Gates," specifically the "hunting" branch.

After the founding of the nation, many old trades and businesses vanished. Jiang Baichuan’s line of work was no exception, dwindling in numbers. Worse still, most of those who remained were unwilling to continue in the trade.

Nie the Second was one of them.

This was understandable. Must a blacksmith’s son always forge iron? Must a farmer’s daughter always till the land? The world is vast and full of possibilities—if someone wants to spread their wings and fly free, who can force them to stay grounded?

The problem, however, was that Nie the Second possessed innate abilities. While they might not be useful in daily life, in certain situations, her absence could be critical—much like how some police officers might go years without firing their guns, but when faced with an armed criminal, they’d have no choice but to draw and shoot.Fortunately, due to some complicated reasons from earlier years, Nie Er and Jiang Baichuan had a significant debt between them. They agreed that the debt would be repaid through labor—meaning whenever Jiang Baichuan needed help, Nie Er would do her best to assist. She couldn’t fully step ashore, with one leg still dragged in these murky waters.

Nie Er insisted on staying out of the light. She didn’t want to be entangled in any trouble, preferring to live as an ordinary person in peace.

Jiang Baichuan, of course, readily agreed.

Thus, only Jiang Baichuan and two or three others knew Nie Er’s true identity. Communication with her was done through separate phones and accounts not tied to real identities. No traceable written records were kept between them, and no direct calls were made, even in emergencies—approval was always sought first. To Que Cha, this person was just a distant presence, someone whose gender or age she didn’t even know, but who would come to help when needed.

It was much like the deities Tang Monk could call upon during his journey to the West: they didn’t interfere with the daily travels, but when trouble arose, they could be summoned.

This time, when Jiang Baichuan led the team through Qingrang, he asked Nie Er to remain on standby for fifteen days. If all went smoothly, she would stay in the background; if anything went wrong, she would step in immediately.

As Jiang Baichuan put it, Nie Er’s presence was fortuitous—through a twist of fate and coincidence, she single-handedly took down Yan Tuo and his entire group.

But now, Yan Tuo had escaped.

That Nie Er must be furious, right?