The two of them walked into the tower.
Normally, a place with tiny windows and high floors like this would feel somewhat gloomy, but in the center of the tower stood an enormous lotus-shaped lampstand. Gold and silver were inlaid across it, pearls and jade hanging from every side. The wealth and brilliance blazing before their eyes seemed even brighter and more dazzling than the sunlight outside.
At least Fu Xi Yan had some difficulty tearing his eyes away.
A maid stood behind the lampstand and silently pointed toward the stairs.
They climbed the steps. The second floor had been arranged as a quiet meditation room, with one low table and several cushions on the floor. A folding screen stood along the northern side, bearing a single enormous character: “Struggle.”
Music from a qin suddenly sounded behind the screen.
Yet the melody was the complete opposite of the word “Struggle.” It was exceptionally peaceful, even somewhat bland. Listening to it, Fu Xi Yan seemed to see an utterly calm lake before him, smooth as a mirror. There was no moon reflected on its surface, no breeze stirring it. Everything seemed frozen in place.
Fu Xi Yan waited the entire time for a water monster to emerge from the lake, but the qin maintained that same unhurried rhythm until it ended.
Only three seconds after the music stopped did he realize it had genuinely ended rather than merely pausing to breathe before continuing.
A faint sound came from behind the screen. A moment later, a young woman dressed with simple elegance emerged. In pure beauty, she could not compare with Tie Rong Rong’s dazzling glamour, yet she carried a fresh, clean air like an orchid blooming alone in an empty valley, making anyone who saw her forget the vulgar world.
Without an introduction, Fu Xi Yan knew that the young woman before him had to be Ban Qing Yu, Acting Sect Leader of the Spirit Sect.
She nodded to Pei Yuan Jin in greeting, then gestured for them to sit.
After Pei Yuan Jin and Fu Xi Yan sat down, Ban Qing Yu picked up a cushion and placed it opposite Pei Yuan Jin before sitting sideways upon it. “I invited Young Master Pei here today for two matters. One concerns me. The other concerns you.”
Fu Xi Yan immediately understood why someone this young could become a leader. She spoke only about the important points, never wasted words, and would definitely run extremely efficient meetings.
“The Immortal Treasury Palace keeps quite a few immortal beasts. We are willing to purchase some. Tan Bu Ju and the bank ledgers can be included as extras and returned to you.”
The “immortal beasts” Ban Qing Yu referred to were things such as Pei Yuan Jin’s white tiger and the green donkey Shou Nan Shan rode. The Immortal Treasury Palace dreamed wholeheartedly of ascending to immortality, so even the pets it kept were modeled after immortals. Whatever appeared in mythology, they tried to raise; if the real thing did not exist, they found something similar and grandly called it an “immortal beast.”
Fu Xi Yan had seen, touched, fed, and cared for the white tiger before, so naturally he knew perfectly well how immortal it was: it was nothing more than a well-trained animal. The Lord of the Immortal Treasury Palace himself was still an ordinary mortal. How could he possess the power to make even his chickens and dogs ascend to Heaven? Therefore Ban Qing Yu’s offer was strange in itself, practically like insisting on giving them free money.
Pei Yuan Jin asked, “And the second?”
Since the first condition resembled child’s play, perhaps the real point lay in the second.
Instead of answering directly, Ban Qing Yu said, “I was only four when Master accepted me into the sect. She passed away not long afterward, and Senior Sister raised me. Senior Sister has never accepted a disciple of her own. Not because of me, but because she believed there was no need.”
Fu Xi Yan found this young woman’s way of speaking so indirect that it was difficult to understand. The mighty leader of the Spirit Sect believed she did not need a disciple—wasn’t that precisely because she had a junior martial sister who was already Acting Sect Leader? How could that have nothing to do with Ban Qing Yu?
Pei Yuan Jin, however, seemed to understand. “Aren’t you the Acting Sect Leader?”
Ban Qing Yu said, “That was because she changed her mind. But a person’s thoughts may change again at any moment.”
Fu Xi Yan understood a tiny bit, yet also felt as though he understood nothing at all.
Did Ban Qing Yu mean that Wu Xuan Yin originally had no intention of making her Acting Sect Leader? Or that she had never intended for anyone else to inherit the position of Sect Leader? What was going on? Had Wu Xuan Yin’s adolescent rebellious phase arrived several decades late, leaving her determined to destroy the Spirit Sect and perish together with it?
Pei Yuan Jin asked, “What does that have to do with me?”
Ban Qing Yu said, “I intend to break through to the Martial King Stage. When the time comes, I will use the Ice-Soul Yin Spring, the coldest spring beneath Heaven, to temper my true essence. If I successfully refine it into Ice Sacred Essence, perhaps I can test the power of the Young Master’s Extreme Yang Sacred Body.”
Fu Xi Yan’s jaw nearly dropped.
Test it…
Did she mean the kind of test he thought she meant?
He looked at their solemn, serious expressions and for a moment could not tell whether his own mind was simply too filthy and he was reading too much into it.
Seeing that Pei Yuan Jin did not speak, Ban Qing Yu added, “The Young Master has delayed advancing to Martial King because you worry Young Master Fu’s state of mind is unstable, correct? Young Master Fu advanced from the True Essence Stage straight to the Mortal-Shedding Stage within a single year. His talent can truly be called heaven-bestowed. But his progress has been too fast, and his foundation is unstable. Once he enters the Dao-Entry Stage, his state of mind may collapse, making the danger extremely high. I am different. The times at which the Young Master and I advanced have always been close, and we have progressed side by side. If you require dual cultivation, I am the best candidate. Neither Xia Xue Nong nor Wen Ping can compare with me.”
Pei Yuan Jin gave Fu Xi Yan a meaningful glance. “Even with the Ice-Soul Yin Spring, you may not necessarily refine Ice Sacred Essence.”
Fu Xi Yan stared at him in shock. You dog! You’re actually seriously considering it?
Ban Qing Yu said, “I have seventy percent confidence. I ask only that the Young Master remain here for one month. In one month, the result will speak for itself.”
Pei Yuan Jin remained silent.
Ban Qing Yu’s cool gaze finally shifted to Fu Xi Yan. “One month from now, if I fail to refine Sacred Essence, naturally I will not obstruct you and Young Master Fu from returning to the Immortal Treasury Palace to marry.”
So now I need your permission to get married?
Fu Xi Yan was extremely displeased. Yet Pei Yuan Jin did not say a single word before they left, as though he had silently accepted the arrangement.
Fu Xi Yan flung his hand away and strode ahead, deliberately putting distance between himself and Pei Yuan Jin. Shou Nan Shan saw them go in sweet and affectionate, only to come out looking like a couple on the verge of parting ways. His heart jolted, and he anxiously asked, “What happened?”
Fu Xi Yan sneered. “You’re always asking someone else whether he’d still take responsibility if he had another choice. Now that another choice has appeared in front of you, suddenly you can’t make up your mind.”
Shou Nan Shan heard the implication and wondered whether something had developed again between the Young Master and the Acting Sect Leader. But when the Young Master’s backyard caught fire, the subordinates were put in an extremely awkward position. He kept signaling at Pei Yuan Jin with his eyes, urging him to pacify Fu Xi Yan first and leave everything else until later.
Pei Yuan Jin walked over and tugged Fu Xi Yan’s hand.
Fu Xi Yan gave a huff and shook him off.
Xie Yun Ling, so quiet that she had almost no sense of presence, suddenly said, “I’ll escort everyone out.”
Perhaps because they were eager to leave, the route that had seemed to twist and turn endlessly on the way in somehow brought them back to the entrance very quickly.
Fu Xi Yan climbed into the carriage first, then reached out and yanked Shou Nan Shan back just as he was preparing to walk toward another carriage. Once Shou Nan Shan helplessly climbed inside, Fu Xi Yan called to Pei Yuan Jin, who was about to board, “Full capacity! One more person and we’ll be overloaded. Go, go, go!”
…
Pei Yuan Jin had no choice but to use another carriage.
Sitting inside, Shou Nan Shan adopted the expression of a kindly grandfather and asked what had happened.
Fu Xi Yan pouted, looking almost ready to cry. “In the end, I’m nothing but a spare tire.”
“What is a spare tire?”
“A carriage has four wheels. I’m number five. When other people drive, I just listen; when their wheels start rolling, I’m the one left hanging underneath.” The more he spoke, the more miserable he became. Even his eyes began to redden.
Shou Nan Shan said, “The Young Master isn’t that kind of person.”
Fu Xi Yan gritted his teeth. “Your Young Master never wanted to be human in the first place. You’re all a bunch of immortals!”
Shou Nan Shan could not even determine whether that was praise or criticism, so he could only laugh awkwardly.
The carriage returned to Riverview Residence. Xie Yun Ling told them they could use the property freely for as long as they remained in Jinling.
Unable to restrain himself, Xiao Sang asked, “We’re staying here? For how long?”
“If everything goes exactly the way your Young Master wants, then probably forever. When that happens, I’ll leave on my own.” Fu Xi Yan spoke angrily, then stormed back to the room.
Shou Nan Shan pointed a finger at Xiao Sang.
Xiao Sang ducked his head and immediately stopped talking.
Because space aboard the ships had been limited, the members of the Hidden Dragon Unit and Phoenix-Roosting Unit had not needed to hide in the shadows as they once did. After disembarking, Pei Yuan Jin likewise made no effort to conceal them, so they openly became visible bodyguards.
After Fu Xi Yan entered the room, Pei Yuan Jin followed. Shou Nan Shan ordered everyone else to disperse, guard the residence properly, and prevent anyone from approaching.
The moment Pei Yuan Jin stepped through the door, Fu Xi Yan gave a heavy huff. Pei Yuan Jin looked puzzled. “Aren’t you acting?”
Fu Xi Yan rolled his eyes. “Who’s acting with you?”
Pei Yuan Jin frowned. “I clearly signaled you.”
Fu Xi Yan sneered. “Are you sure your signal wasn’t telling me to abdicate in favor of someone more worthy?”
Pei Yuan Jin looked somewhat helpless. All the cold aloofness he had displayed before Ban Qing Yu disappeared without a trace. “Ban Qing Yu cannot be trusted.”
“So it’s because you don’t believe Ban Qing Yu can do it, not because you don’t want Ban Qing Yu to be able to do it?” Fu Xi Yan immediately seized the loophole in his wording.
Pei Yuan Jin looked at him in genuine confusion, apparently unable to understand what he was getting tangled up over.
Fu Xi Yan fell silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed. “Do I look especially like some resentful wife shut away in her boudoir right now?”
“I’ve never seen a resentful wife shut away in her boudoir.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…” That answer was so extremely Pei Yuan Jin that his emotions could not even maintain continuity.
Pei Yuan Jin reached out and took the plump hand Fu Xi Yan had placed on the table. “We are the ones who belong together.”
At that moment, countless questions suddenly surged through Fu Xi Yan’s mind. Why do we belong together? Is it only because of the Harmonized Yang Pills? If Ban Qing Yu really were trustworthy, would his position waver? Questions like that came one after another.
But he quickly restrained the impulse.
The truth was that he had understood the glance Pei Yuan Jin gave him at the time, and everything he did afterward really had been cooperation with the act. If Fu Xi Yan had genuinely believed Pei Yuan Jin was wavering, he would never have dared express his dissatisfaction so righteously. After all, the narrowing of the gap between his status and Pei Yuan Jin’s came entirely from the effect of the Harmonized Yang Pills. If that bond were truly severed, he did not have enough confidence to point fingers at the heir to one of the great powers of the martial world.
Fu Xi Yan had always lived with a clear understanding of reality.
So this was not yet the time to voice questions guided by pessimistic emotion.
Fu Xi Yan thought that although the two of them were both trying to move closer to each other, he had no idea exactly how far they had come. He did not know Pei Yuan Jin’s feelings, and he was not even entirely sure of his own. Opening the lid and checking the contents now would be too early. Better to let everything remain sealed in the bottle and ferment a little longer.
He was accustomed to regulating his own emotions. Before long he had straightened himself out and asked with a smile, “Why can’t Ban Qing Yu be trusted?”
Pei Yuan Jin had no idea such an enormous emotional fluctuation had just taken place inside him. Believing his words had worked, he gave Fu Xi Yan’s hand a satisfied squeeze. “Using the Ice-Soul Yin Spring to temper Ice Sacred Essence carries enormous danger. Seventy percent confidence is nonsense. At most, she has thirty percent. If she fails, all her true essence will be destroyed. She won’t do it.”
That was why his first solution had always been the Harmonized Yang Pills. Even after Fu Xi Yan ate seven of them, Pei Yuan Jin had never considered this route. The risk was too great while the outcome was uncertain, and the Spirit Sect would never agree to it.
Fu Xi Yan asked, “Does she know that you know all this?”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “She should.”
That made the whole thing even more baffling.
If you knew a lie could not deceive someone, why tell it?
“Maybe she thinks you’re desperate enough that even if you know it’s probably false, you’ll still try to believe her?”
Fu Xi Yan tried to step outside his own position and Pei Yuan Jin’s and view the matter from Ban Qing Yu’s perspective. Two men had been forced by an accident to remain bound together for life. Then suddenly, an incomparable beauty appeared and offered them one thread of hope. Would they choose to believe?
If this were the Fu Xi Yan who had only just swallowed the Harmonized Yang Pills and the Pei Yuan Jin who had only just learned Fu Xi Yan had swallowed them, the answer would very likely have been… yes. They might even have worshipped Ban Qing Yu like a savior.
But too much time had passed. Enough time for Pei Yuan Jin to publicly acknowledge Fu Xi Yan as his Young Madam. Ban Qing Yu making her move now seemed rather belated.
Pei Yuan Jin said, “She must have another purpose.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “Maybe she doesn’t care whether you believe her at all… Let’s reason backward from the result. If she really returns Tan Bu Ju and the ledgers as promised, then her goal was to lure you here. Once you arrived, she also wanted you to remain here for one month.”
His eyes lit up. “She wants you to stay here for one month. Why?”
Surely it could not be that in one month seven stars would align above Southern Yu, the gates of Heaven would open, and everyone needed to sit in neat little rows, eat fruit, and enjoy the astronomical spectacle together!
＊
At the Spirit Sect headquarters, on the second floor of the Spirit-Nurturing Tower, Ban Qing Yu remained seated on her cushion after Pei Yuan Jin and the others departed, waiting for Xie Yun Ling to return. Eventually, familiar footsteps sounded from the staircase, and Xie Yun Ling appeared at the top.
She looked far more relaxed than when receiving the Immortal Treasury Palace’s party. A faint smile even appeared on her usually impersonal face. Her relationship with Ban Qing Yu was clearly not as rigidly hierarchical as outsiders assumed.
With no outsiders present, she did not need to bow. She simply sat on the cushion opposite Ban Qing Yu.
Ban Qing Yu asked, “How did they behave?”
Xie Yun Ling said, “Fu Xi Yan was very angry. On the way back, he didn’t even ride in the same carriage as Pei Yuan Jin.”
Such news ought to have been good, yet Ban Qing Yu did not look pleased. Instead, she sighed faintly. “Then he didn’t believe me.”
Xie Yun Ling was puzzled. “Wasn’t he angry?”
Ban Qing Yu said, “I’ve dealt with him once before. He looks simple-minded, but in reality he leaves no opening anywhere. If he had truly believed it, he would have hidden the matter in his heart rather than display it openly.”
The excitement disappeared from Xie Yun Ling’s face.
The meditation room finally became genuinely quiet.
Ban Qing Yu pondered for a moment. “Still no news of Jing Luo’s whereabouts?”
Xie Yun Ling said, “None. The Immortal Treasury Palace hasn’t shown any movement either.”
Ban Qing Yu’s expression became grave. “If a Martial King or Martial God wishes to hide his movements, doing so is far too easy. We have to prepare for the worst. Keep Pei Yuan Jin’s entire party under close watch. At the critical moment, they will be hostages. Pei Xiong Ji does not have much time left. He will not allow anything to happen to his son.”
Xie Yun Ling said, “Understood. And the Heaven-and-Earth Mirror…”
“As for the Heaven-and-Earth Mirror, we can only trust him.” Ban Qing Yu sighed softly. “The Spirit Sect rose too recently, and Master died too early. We possess only Senior Sister as a Martial God. Our foundation is still far too thin.”
At the mention of Wu Xuan Yin, Xie Yun Ling frowned unhappily. “Sect Leader’s entire heart is devoted to the Southern Yu emperor. She may not necessarily give this matter everything she has.”
Ban Qing Yu said quietly, “If it weren’t for love, how would I ever have gotten my chance?”
Xie Yun Ling paused, then answered dully.
Ban Qing Yu raised a hand and rubbed her aching brow. The Spirit Sect had quietly prepared for this matter for decades. It absolutely could not fail at the final stage while in her hands. The effort she had exhausted and the pressure she had borne these days were difficult for outsiders to imagine.
Seeing this, Xie Yun Ling immediately stood, walked behind her, then knelt and placed both hands against Ban Qing Yu’s temples, gently massaging them.
Ban Qing Yu closed her eyes and enjoyed it for a while before saying, “The people from the City of Ten Thousand Beasts should be arriving soon, shouldn’t they?”
Xie Yun Ling’s hands paused faintly. She answered in a low voice, “Yes.”
Ban Qing Yu said, “If Xi Mo Ya comes, you are not permitted to clash with him again. The Spirit Sect may sound impressive as Southern Yu’s state religion, with lofty status and enormous influence, but in truth we lack top-level fighters. Compared with the Heaven-and-Earth Mirror and the Immortal Treasury Palace, our foundation is too shallow. We need alliances with other powers. Tong Fang Yu possesses strength but little intelligence, making her the best possible partner.”
Xie Yun Ling lowered her eyes gloomily. “Yes.”
Ban Qing Yu comforted her. “I know Xi Mo Ya is lustful. Humor him with a few words and find a few singing girls to accompany him. A little verbal offense doesn’t hurt. Before something truly important, it is not worth mentioning. You need to learn to endure.”
Xie Yun Ling said, “Yes.”
Apparently sensing the reluctance in her heart, Ban Qing Yu raised one hand and lightly patted her wrist. “Once the matter succeeds, why would we still fear the Immortal Treasury Palace or the Heaven-and-Earth Mirror? And how difficult would it be to swallow the City of Ten Thousand Beasts afterward? Don’t be impatient.”
As though she could already see the future Ban Qing Yu described, a faint smile finally returned to Xie Yun Ling’s lips.
＊
They plotted together inside the quiet room. Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin naturally had no possible way of hearing them.
But they could make guesses. Asking them to remain in Southern Yu for one month was not particularly difficult in itself. Yet when someone insisted so strongly upon precisely that condition, there was a good chance something connected to them was happening somewhere they could not see.
Pei Yuan Jin sent Shou Nan Shan to the new city to bring back the chief manager formerly stationed in Jinling.
The Immortal Treasury Palace’s forces in Southern Yu were less developed than those in Northern Zhou. Jinling had only the Wind Division gathering intelligence; even the Rain Division’s businesses were all centrally directed from the Rain Division in Lin’an.
Most members of the Immortal Treasury Palace’s Southern Yu branches were themselves natives of Southern Yu, including the Wind Division chief manager who arrived now, Ma Qing.
Fu Xi Yan looked at him and asked curiously, “Are you wearing a disguise?”
Ma Qing stared blankly. “I am not.”
Fu Xi Yan turned to Pei Yuan Jin. “Looks like we can’t call a deer a horse this time.” He had merely remembered Lu Qing back in Jiangling, who had suddenly gained enlightenment after a single encounter and broken through toward Martial King, hence the idle joke.
Elio’s Notes: Lu Qing’s surname 鹿 (Lù) means “deer,” while Ma Qing’s surname 马 (Mǎ) means “horse.” Fu Xi Yan is riffing on 指鹿为马, literally “to point at a deer and call it a horse,” an idiom for deliberately misrepresenting the truth.
Ma Qing had spent too long in Jinling and was obviously extremely intimidated by everyone from headquarters. His manner was so deferential that he even stammered.
His performance was clearly not satisfactory.
When Pei Yuan Jin heard him say, “I-I went to the new city because the Spirit Sect s-suggested it. They… they gave me a residence,” the frost on Pei Yuan Jin’s face nearly began shedding flakes.
As chief manager of the Wind Division, Shou Nan Shan could do nothing but smile bitterly at such a subordinate.
After Ma Qing left, he had no choice but to explain. “The Immortal Treasury Palace has had difficulty developing in Southern Yu these past few years. Ma Qing was the old chief manager’s capable assistant and was promoted only a few years ago. The previous chief manager has already been transferred to Lin’an.”
Pei Yuan Jin did not need to ask how difficult things had become.
How difficult? Looking at Ma Qing told him everything. An intelligence organization had openly accepted a house from the very people it was supposed to monitor, yet the man saw no problem with it. That vastness inside his skull was not tolerance—it was water!
Every organization had stupid subordinates. Why did he seem to have particularly many?
Suppressing his anger, he asked, “The Jinling Wind Division is already useless. What about Lin’an?”
Shou Nan Shan said, “Lin’an lacks manpower. They can barely keep watch on the Southern Yu court and the remnants of the regent’s faction.”
Pei Yuan Jin asked, “Can’t you recruit people?”
Shou Nan Shan said, “The Spirit Sect has expanded rapidly. They have the imperial court behind them, so ordinary jianghu people are more willing to join them.”
Fu Xi Yan listened silently and formed his own opinion.
This was the advantage of having the imperial court at your back. It let the Spirit Sect overtake enormous organizations such as the Immortal Treasury Palace and the Heaven-and-Earth Mirror around the bend. If they developed honestly one step at a time, they would have to wait until those great powers collapsed by themselves before nibbling at the remains, and who knew how many years that would take?
Pei Yuan Jin asked, “Who currently has the final say over Southern Yu affairs?”
Shou Nan Shan said, “The Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning Divisions each handle their own responsibilities. However, Shen Bo You, chief manager of the Lin’an Lightning Division, is one of the Palace Lord’s old subordinates and the strongest Immortal Treasury Palace expert in Southern Yu. He is at the late Dao-Entry Stage.”
Pei Yuan Jin’s expression darkened. “If I remember correctly, Shen Bo You was Zhao Tong Qu’s first martial teacher?”
Shou Nan Shan scratched his head. “There does seem to have been something like that.”
“Order Shen Bo You to come to Jinling and report.” Pei Yuan Jin paused. “We’re going to the new city.”
Since Ban Qing Yu had made up her mind to keep them in Southern Yu for a month, Spirit Sect spies would undoubtedly be packed densely around them. Even so, Pei Yuan Jin openly summoned several carriages and headed toward the new city in broad daylight. And not merely the new city—afterward, he intended to visit Lin’an, Mingzhou, and perhaps even Rongcheng.
He intended to test for himself what Ban Qing Yu’s true sore spot was.
Or rather, whether the Spirit Sect’s fatal weakness lay inside Southern Yu or beyond its borders.
That meant Northern Zhou could not be neglected either.
Inside the carriage, Pei Yuan Jin considered one thing after another while Fu Xi Yan leaned against the window and earnestly watched the streets passing backward outside. If one looked carefully, the styles of Southern Yu and Northern Zhou really were distinguishable.
Southern Yu had abundant water, so it had many bridges. Especially during the misty rainy season, the scenery vividly illustrated the phrase “little bridges, flowing streams, and homes.” The houses themselves were not particularly clean, but placed within surroundings like an ink-wash painting, even the stains on the walls looked like deliberate brushwork by a painter, full of vitality.
The new city had been built on a plain outside Jinling, sitting at a not-too-near, not-too-far distance from the surrounding towns. There were no mountains or rivers nearby. Water inside the city came entirely from wells drawing groundwater. In Jiangnan, where rivers and streams lay everywhere, such terrain was extremely unusual.
The outer walls of the new city were imposing, five or six zhang high and nearly comparable to Jinling’s.
Although it was a new city, considerable care had gone into its planning. The streets ran straight in a rigorous grid comparable even to Haojing. The whole city followed a nine-square layout, with the Spirit Sect’s new headquarters at the center. The remaining eight districts each operated independently, possessing their own markets and administrative offices. Even banks, pharmacies, inns, and other businesses were distributed remarkably evenly. Each district was almost a city within a city, capable of supporting itself.
The house given to Ma Qing occupied a good location, quite close to the Spirit Sect’s new headquarters.
Besides Ma Qing, many other martial sects had moved here as well, apparently all by invitation.
Pei Yuan Jin and the others found the city’s layout strange, but Fu Xi Yan accepted it readily. Wasn’t this just what people in his previous life called a “multi-center urban spatial development model”?
Nothing wrong with that.