An ice-cold palace—only the people who actually stayed in one knew how bad it was.
Fu Xi Yan hugged the quilt and huddled beside Pei Yuan Jin. His eyes kept drifting toward the enormous empty area beyond the bed. “If there weren’t at least a carpet on the floor, I’d think we were sleeping in an unfinished shell.”
Pei Yuan Jin reached over and pulled him closer. “Cold?”
…
Fu Xi Yan lay on Pei Yuan Jin’s arm without daring to move.
How could he describe this position? It was certainly warm, but wasn’t he a little too… much like a plump bird nestling against someone? He imagined the scene from a third person’s perspective and felt the artistic style was simply too beautiful to contemplate.
Pei Yuan Jin felt Fu Xi Yan’s head shifting around on his arm. “Uncomfortable?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “I’m afraid you’re uncomfortable.”
Pei Yuan Jin simply pulled him entirely into his arms. “What about now?”
Fu Xi Yan felt extremely awkward inside, but saying so aloud would be terribly unromantic. He therefore wrapped his arms around Pei Yuan Jin in return and lightly patted him. “Fine. This works.” If they kept adjusting, dawn would arrive.
Pei Yuan Jin said, “Bear with it for one night. We’ll go back tomorrow.”
Fu Xi Yan asked, “Will she let us?”
“Shou Nan Shan should arrive tomorrow.”
He had still underestimated how seriously Shou Nan Shan took his safety. After Pei Yuan Jin and Fu Xi Yan went inside and failed to emerge for two hours, Shou Nan Shan was already standing outside Lingyun Palace. Wu Xuan Yin, who was sitting in the main hall drinking herself into a bad mood, sighed faintly.
Another hour passed before Martial King Shou himself appeared at the entrance to the hall.
Wu Xuan Yin leaned against the doorframe holding a wine jug. She was even more intoxicated than when she met Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin. Her cheeks were flushed like the first light of sunrise, giving her a delicate, seductive beauty. But to Shou Nan Shan, a beautiful face did nothing to change the fact that she was a Martial God who remained harmless only so long as she did not move—and who could kill in one blow if she did.
“Our Palace’s Young Master and his wife came to visit the Sect Leader three hours ago and have yet to return. The night is already deep. This old man has come to escort them home.”
Wu Xuan Yin shook her wine jug. “How old is your Young Master? Does whether he comes home still need your permission?”
Shou Nan Shan said, “This old man cannot control whether the Young Master wants to go home, but I can certainly concern myself with whether someone else allows him to.”
Wu Xuan Yin asked, “And how do you intend to do that?”
Shou Nan Shan said, “You cannot fight. I can.”
“How do you know I can’t fight?” Wu Xuan Yin sneered. She returned inside the hall, carried out a chest, and threw it onto the ground. With the tip of her foot, she flipped it open. A pile of strange metal spheres lay inside. “These contain the true qi I stored before reaching Martial God. Come on, then. Fight! Let’s see who’s afraid!”
By this time, Pei Yuan Jin and Fu Xi Yan had heard the commotion and arrived.
Shou Nan Shan said, “Does the Sect Leader truly expect me to believe that?”
He had never seen those metal spheres before, but Fu Xi Yan possessed one very similar object: the “Dementor” Lord Taishi had given them.
Fu Xi Yan hurriedly coughed. “Might I ask where the Sect Leader obtained these?”
Wu Xuan Yin said, “Bought them.”
Pei Yuan Jin said coldly, “Their original owner was Cloudsea Embroidery Manor.”
No one in the jianghu was unaware of the massacre of Cloudsea Embroidery Manor, so no explanation was necessary. Shou Nan Shan immediately understood the implication. He looked toward Wu Xuan Yin. “Was the destruction of Cloudsea Embroidery Manor the Spirit Sect’s doing?”
Wu Xuan Yin casually waved a hand. “Of course not. When Cloudsea Embroidery Manor was destroyed, I had not even reached Martial King. There was no reason.”
Shou Nan Shan said, “But your honored master was already a Martial God.”
Wu Xuan Yin countered, “You just said it yourself. She was already a Martial God. How was she supposed to act?”
Fu Xi Yan interrupted, “Your master had the idea. You did the killing.”
Wu Xuan Yin paused, then nodded. “That does make a certain amount of sense. But it wasn’t me. Cloudsea Embroidery Manor was ruled by women, just like the Spirit Sect. I liked them very much. Even if I wanted something they possessed, I could simply steal it. Why would I need to wipe them out? A mere Cloudsea Embroidery Manor was not enough to make the Spirit Sect fear retaliation.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “Then tell us who sold them to you.”
Wu Xuan Yin looked at him and smiled faintly. “I can tell you. But you must obediently stay here.”
Fu Xi Yan shook his head. “Then I don’t want to know anymore.”
Wu Xuan Yin looked both puzzled and offended. “Why? What is wrong with this place?”
“The bed is bad—too hard. The room is bad—too empty. The quilt is bad—too thin. The pillow is bad—too high…”
“Enough.” Fu Xi Yan had only made it halfway through his list when Wu Xuan Yin impatiently cut him off. “Promise me you’ll remain inside Lin’an, and I’ll tell you.”
Fu Xi Yan thought for a moment. “If something urgent comes up and we need to leave, can we ask you for permission and negotiate?”
Wu Xuan Yin seemed to find the suggestion highly amusing. “Oh? You want to negotiate with me?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “We all have mouths. If something can be settled by talking, why use our hands?”
Wu Xuan Yin blinked. “That makes a great deal of sense. But no. If you dare take even one step outside Lin’an, I’ll break your husband’s legs.”
Fu Xi Yan happily nodded. “Sure, sure. See? That was easy to negotiate.”
Pei Yuan Jin looked at him speechlessly. Unfortunately, the person involved had not realized anything was wrong and was still smiling happily.
Wu Xuan Yin burst out laughing. “You’re so adorable I almost want to claim you for myself. If you had been in Southern Yu back then, that bastard Qin Xiao Xun would never have gotten his chance.”
The words sounded rather insincere, so Fu Xi Yan could only laugh dryly.
What Wu Xuan Yin said next, however, immediately wiped away his smile.
“I bought these spheres from Puppet Path Grandmaster Mo Xiao Ran. In exchange, my master gave him the formation blueprints for the new city.”
Fu Xi Yan asked, “Why? Isn’t the new city supposed to be a secret plan?”
Wu Xuan Yin said, “Breaking past the limit and escaping assimilation by Heaven and Earth is the shared goal of martial artists like us. Otherwise, why would any of us bother reaching Martial God? When sects compete for power and profit, we are enemies. But before the limits imposed by Heaven and Earth, we are comrades.”
Fu Xi Yan hurriedly asked, “Has Mo Xiao Ran reached the Sacred Master realm? Do these metal spheres allow a Sacred Master to act however he wants?”
“That is another question.” Wu Xuan Yin looked up at the moon in the night sky. “It’s the middle of the night. Stop wasting time here. Either go back to that rock-hard bed and sleep, or leave with your Martial King.”
Without answers to those questions, Fu Xi Yan felt deeply uneasy. But if a Martial God did not want to answer, neither Shou Nan Shan, a Martial King, nor Pei Yuan Jin, at the peak of the Dao-Entry Stage, could force her.
Staying would not produce answers either, so they could only leave.
It was already the middle of the night, yet Fu Xi Yan’s mind remained extremely clear. Even on the way back, he kept thinking about what Wu Xuan Yin had said. “Do you think she was telling the truth?”
Shou Nan Shan said irritably, “Starting from her master, there hasn’t been an honest person in the entire Spirit Sect. If one sentence out of ten is true, you should count yourself lucky.”
Fu Xi Yan felt there was something very wrong with his attitude.
Pei Yuan Jin explained, “Hu Luo Luo once traveled through the jianghu under an alias. Chief Manager Shou tried to recruit her into the Immortal Treasury Palace.”
Fu Xi Yan suddenly understood. “She rejected him, so he held a grudge?”
“No. She agreed.”
The moment Pei Yuan Jin said this, Shou Nan Shan snorted coldly and strode faster.
Pei Yuan Jin ignored him and continued, “Chief Steward Jing discovered something wrong while checking her identity. Hu Luo Luo realized the situation was turning bad and found an opportunity to flee. Chief Manager Shou was punished because of it and nearly lost his position.”
This whole story of abandoning someone the moment disaster arrived was truly…
Fu Xi Yan shook his head. “Was the portrait in Chief Manager Shou’s room really Hu Luo Luo?”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “Whether it was or not isn’t determined by what hangs on the wall. Look at the heart.”
Fu Xi Yan found Pei Yuan Jin’s words extremely profound. “Come to think of it, Chief Manager Shou has never married or had children all these years…”
“I’m not deaf. Watch what you say when you talk about me.” Shou Nan Shan’s voice drifted slowly back from ahead.
Fu Xi Yan looked at the three or four zhang separating them and laughed dryly. “You truly are very much not deaf.”
By the time they returned to the residence beside West Lake, it was already early morning. Fu Xi Yan had originally intended to analyze everything Wu Xuan Yin said with Pei Yuan Jin, but the moment he lay down, sleepiness quickly overtook him. By the time Pei Yuan Jin came to bed, Fu Xi Yan was already pursing his lips slightly, breathing evenly in deep sleep.
Because he slept late, he naturally woke late as well.
Fu Xi Yan got out of bed yawning. Bright daylight filled the room, and it was already nearly noon.
Pei Yuan Jin had long since risen and was listening to Ying He report the information gathered the previous day. Southern Yu’s court was tangled in countless affairs, Rongcheng was growing restless, and memorials urging the emperor to establish an empress as soon as possible were now arriving from officials across the country.
Local officials submitting memorials to urge the establishment of an empress was unprecedented.
Ying He said, “I imagine the senior ministers at court noticed that His Majesty was beginning to yield and decided this was the right time to press the matter through in one push.”
Pei Yuan Jin had no interest in the mess surrounding whom the emperor intended to marry. “Yesterday, the Vice Minister of Rites sent us the Wuchen sword. Yet I vaguely remember that this sword later entered the collection of the Prince of Lingnan. Why is it in Southern Yu?”
Ying He said, “Since the Vice Minister of Rites produced it, he must have some clue. This subordinate will investigate immediately.”
Pei Yuan Jin nodded. Whatever Ying He’s other shortcomings, at least he possessed a functioning brain. That alone was satisfying.
Not long after Ying He left, people from the Vice Minister of Rites’ residence arrived again. The visitor was the same pretty young woman from yesterday, and she was still accompanied by several young male escorts of roughly the same age.
“Yesterday, Shi Shi was discourteous and misunderstood Young Master Fu.” She deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of “Fu” to express her dissatisfaction with the false name he had given the day before. “The lotuses are blooming beautifully at present. A few of us have organized a poetry gathering and would like to invite Young Master Fu and Young Master Pei.”
She personally held out the invitation.
Xiao Sang accepted it and passed it to Fu Xi Yan.
Fu Xi Yan opened the invitation, stared at the signature, and asked blankly, “Who is Zuo Shi Shi?”
Zuo Shi Shi secretly gritted her teeth. Hadn’t she just said Shi Shi was discourteous? She smiled. “Shi Shi is my given name.”
Alarm bells immediately rang in Fu Xi Yan’s head. “How can a young lady let an outsider know her private name so casually?”
Zuo Shi Shi said, “In Lin’an, women may appear openly in society and accomplish great things just as men do. Young Master Fu need not be so old-fashioned.”
The “old-fashioned” Fu Xi Yan immediately apologized with admirable humility.
Zuo Shi Shi asked, “Then will Young Master Fu and Young Master Pei come tomorrow?”
Fu Xi Yan politely declined. “I don’t know how to compose poetry.”
“You are guests. If Young Master Fu doesn’t want to compose poetry, then don’t. Do you think we would deliberately make things difficult for you?” Zuo Shi Shi said. “We simply wish to apologize for yesterday. Please honor us with your presence.”
At the end of the day, she was merely a teenage girl. Coming personally to invite two men was already difficult for her; now she even had to lower herself and plead. Her pretty face flushed crimson. If they refused again, she looked almost ready to cry.
The boys standing beside her looked furious, but for some reason none of them could voice their emotions.
Fu Xi Yan looked toward Pei Yuan Jin.
Pei Yuan Jin raised a brow. “Do you want me to throw them out?”
What he meant was that matters requiring physical action were his responsibility. But the youths did not understand their private shorthand. They thought they had become so annoying that the hosts were actually considering throwing them out and immediately could no longer remain silent.
The round-faced boy blurted, “If the Vice Minister hadn’t repeatedly ordered us to come, we wouldn’t have shown up here begging to be disliked!”
He spoke too quickly. His companions tried to stop him, but it was already too late. Unexpectedly, Fu Xi Yan did not become angry. Instead, he visibly relaxed. “You should have said so earlier. I thought… Since this is the Vice Minister’s invitation, naturally we can attend.”
Zuo Shi Shi opened her mouth. She wanted to explain that although her father had indeed suggested it, the poetry gathering was still mainly being hosted by them. But after another thought, she decided it might be better to let the misunderstanding stand. If she clarified things, this fellow might start putting on airs again.
“Then it’s settled.” As though afraid he might change his mind, she grabbed her companions and hurried away the moment the words left her mouth.
Watching her leave as though her clothes were on fire, Fu Xi Yan could not help smiling. “This Vice Minister really is an interesting person. One chance encounter yesterday, and today he’s already putting it to use.”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “Was it truly a chance encounter?”
Fu Xi Yan paused, then shook his head. He no longer dared casually define yesterday’s “accident,” which had appeared so natural and flawless.
People of Northern Zhou tended to be direct. If they wanted to kill someone, it was white blade in, red blade out—clean and straightforward. Southern Yu, however, was better at slipping in soft knives. Looking back, that kite dropping with such perfect timing yesterday afternoon did indeed have that sort of flavor.
“In that case, these youths are actually an excellent surprise force.”
They were young, inexperienced, and open-hearted, so people naturally lowered their guard around them. Even though today’s invitation clearly bore the Vice Minister’s fingerprints, Fu Xi Yan still regarded the youths as people being used and did not dislike them for it.
Thus, they smoothly became a buffer between the Southern Yu court and Pei Yuan Jin’s group.
Take this situation. Pei Yuan Jin and Fu Xi Yan had slipped into Lingyun Palace at night and returned only halfway through the night. This would certainly strike sensitive nerves among Southern Yu’s officials. Yet those officials could not lower their dignity enough to rush over and interrogate them whenever they heard the slightest rumor. Sending a few young people ahead as scouts was excellent. Of course, these children could not handle truly important matters, so someone else would naturally come negotiate with them later.
Fu Xi Yan felt absolutely nothing wrong with calling people his own age “children” and continued analyzing. “Do you think tomorrow we’ll encounter some classic plot developments?”
“What classic plot developments?”
“For example, walking beside the river and conveniently encountering a young lady falling into the water. Or having my clothes dirtied during a meal so I need to change them in the rear courtyard, only to accidentally walk in while a young lady is bathing. Or someone drugging the food…”
Fu Xi Yan summarized the plots he had seen in novels and television dramas in his previous life. The more he thought about it, the more dangerous tomorrow seemed.
Pei Yuan Jin, who had been reclining in his chair, actually sat upright in disbelief. “Those are common occurrences to you?” If Fu Fu were not still in Northern Zhou’s southern borderlands, Pei Yuan Jin almost wanted to personally ask him whether he knew what sort of life his son had once lived.
Fu Xi Yan hurriedly waved his hands. “Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. I meant certain… dark secrets among great aristocratic families.”
Pei Yuan Jin frowned. “Are Northern Zhou’s great families truly that absurd?”
…Sorry. He had just smeared the reputation of Northern Zhou’s entire world.
Fu Xi Yan said, “Well… perhaps storytellers simply made those things up.”
Pei Yuan Jin thought about it, then reclined again. “Most likely.” Great families had guards every few steps. Even if they wanted to scheme against someone, surely they would not use methods so crude.
Fu Xi Yan relaxed slightly, only to hear Pei Yuan Jin say, “You should spend your time thinking about tomorrow’s poem.”
Fu Xi Yan asked, “You don’t have to think of one?”
“You speak. I write.” Mouth and hands, responsibilities clearly divided.
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that after a science student transmigrated and was reborn, he would still end up walking the road of deceiving the world and stealing a reputation.
Where was his bottom line?
Where was the basic bottom line a human being ought to possess?
…
“What do you think of this line: ‘The young lotus has only just shown its pointed tip, yet already a dragonfly stands upon it’?” Fu Xi Yan asked while swaying his head rhythmically.
Pei Yuan Jin looked somewhat surprised. He had not expected Fu Xi Yan to shut himself indoors and actually produce something decent.
Fu Xi Yan stroked his chin. “But now we have a problem. What were the first two lines?”
Memorizing poetry really was killing him! He had written so many basic-subject textbooks—chemistry, physics, English, mathematics. The one thing he had never written was Chinese literature. Regretting it now was too late.
“Flowers planted with care refuse to bloom; a drawn blade cannot sever flowing water. The young lotus has only just shown its pointed tip; yet already a dragonfly stands upon it.”
Fu Xi Yan raised his head and asked Shou Nan Shan, “What do you think of this poem?”
Shou Nan Shan, a mighty Martial King, had now been reduced to sitting in a chair chewing on a writing brush. It was truly tragic. Startled awake from his dozing, he pulled the brush from his mouth and applauded. “Good. Good poem!”
“Doesn’t it feel a little disjointed? The first half says flowers planted with care refuse to bloom, then suddenly a lotus bud appears in the second half.”
“Then use another.” Shou Nan Shan rummaged through the discarded sheets and picked one up. “This one is good except for the final line. ‘Several lotus stems beside the pond, blooming alone in summer heat. From afar I know they are not snow, because a hidden fragrance drifts this way.’”
“What’s wrong with the last line?” Fu Xi Yan had adapted it from Wang Anshi’s Plum Blossoms, one of the few ancient poems he could remember from beginning to end.
Shou Nan Shan said, “Flowers blooming in the blazing summer obviously aren’t snow. The season is wrong. Any snow would have melted long ago. Why do you need hidden fragrance to tell you that?”
Fu Xi Yan: “…” The reasoning was unassailable.
“Then how would you change it?”
Shou Nan Shan said, “‘From afar I know they are not snow, because this pond holds no Ice-Soul Yin Spring.’” Only the Ice-Soul Yin Spring could keep snow from melting.
Fu Xi Yan clutched his head. “The number of characters doesn’t even match!”
Shou Nan Shan scratched his head. “Then let’s try this one instead. This one is good. ‘If youth does not work hard, old age grieves in vain.’”
“…” Fu Xi Yan said, “That one wasn’t prepared for tomorrow. It was written for me today.” If youth does not work hard, old age grieves in vain. Wasn’t that describing him at this very moment?
＊
Another light rain fell early the next morning. When they departed, the road was still slightly damp. By the time they reached the location written on the invitation, the ground was completely dry, and faint heat could be felt rising from beneath their feet.
Seeing that Pei Yuan Jin still maintained his cold, aloof male-god appearance without showing the slightest discomfort from the heat, Fu Xi Yan could not help asking curiously, “Since you practice this kind of martial art, shouldn’t you be more afraid of heat than ordinary people?”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “No. External temperature makes no difference to me.”
Fu Xi Yan was openly envious. “Your body temperature is permanently regulated? You don’t feel hot?”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “I am always hot. I never become cool.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
Please return the envy he had just handed over.
At this time, West Lake’s lotuses had not yet fully bloomed. Only a few impatient flowers had opened ahead of the main group, but against the broad field of emerald lotus leaves, they appeared especially brilliant.
Zuo Shi Shi and the others had arrived first. One boy was already painting on the spot. The lotuses on the paper had taken shape, and with only a few strokes remaining, the scenery of lake and flowers would be completely reproduced in ink.
Fu Xi Yan knew nothing about painting, but everyone else looked impressed, so he nodded along with them.
The round-faced boy said, “Since Young Master Fu approves, why not compose a poem to add brilliance to the painting?”
Fu Xi Yan looked toward Zuo Shi Shi as though asking, What happened to ‘we won’t force you to write poetry’?
Zuo Shi Shi raised her chin slightly, carrying the innocent, spoiled arrogance of a young girl. “If Young Master Fu does not wish to compose a poem, then drink three cups as punishment.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “Fine. Then I’ll improvise one.”
The youths immediately began cheering and jeering.
Fu Xi Yan cleared his throat. “Lotuses bloom in the lake, lotuses bloom in the art. Want to know which one is real? Dunk it in the water and see.”
…
Everyone immediately remembered the King of Kites that had been dunked into the lake until it became a useless soaked rag two days earlier. Their expressions turned rather ugly.
Zuo Shi Shi said, “Did Young Master Fu come to Lin’an specifically to dunk on people?”
Fu Xi Yan grinned. “Look at you saying that… Many thanks to Miss Zuo for giving me the opportunity.”
Zuo Shi Shi snorted. At that moment, a scholar in yellow who looked at least a full generation older than the teenagers stepped out from the crowd and cupped his hands. “My younger sister has been spoiled at home. If she has been discourteous, please forgive her.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “Since we are neither relatives nor close acquaintances, naturally there is no need to take offense.”
So the poetry gathering truly was a pretext. This man was the real person they had come to meet.
His guess was correct. The Vice Minister of Rites had deliberately arranged the poetry gathering specifically so that his legitimate son—Zuo Shi Shi’s biological elder brother, Zuo Li De—could meet them.
Perhaps Zuo Li De had already investigated the way they spoke. He went directly to the point. “I heard the two young masters were dissatisfied with Wuchen and gave it away again that same night… Normally, I should not ask about such a matter. However, I personally selected the gift, hoping to present a famous sword to a hero and create a fine story. I did not expect things to go wrong, so I wished to ask what happened.”
Since you asked so sincerely, Fu Xi Yan naturally responded with equal sincerity. “How did you know Wuchen was given away?”
Zuo Li De said, “To tell the truth, the imperial palace cares deeply for the Sect Leader and specifically arranged imperial guards to protect her day and night. My father receives information quickly, so we know that the two of you took Wuchen to Lingyun Palace that same evening and did not bring it back.”
Fu Xi Yan thought: That isn’t what Wu Xuan Yin told us.
Wu Xuan Yin had clearly said the imperial guards had already been withdrawn.
He divided his attention, thinking while answering, “Wuchen is one of the Three Great Ominous Swords beneath Heaven and is famous for killing one’s spouse. Neither Young Master Pei nor I was suitable. After thinking it over, the only person in all Lin’an who possesses tremendous martial arts, lives entirely alone, and need not fear killing the person sharing her pillow was the Spirit Sect Leader. Since the sword had just been delivered and was still practically warm, we hurried over and gave it to her.”
Zuo Li De’s smile stiffened slightly. “Is that so? I had no idea the sword carried such a legend.”
Seeing that his expression did not appear false, Fu Xi Yan asked, “Where did Young Master Zuo obtain the sword? Didn’t whoever gave it to you mention this?”
Zuo Li De said, “Wuchen has been in our family for several years. Someone likely gave it to my father as a birthday gift. I no longer remember precisely who. If this sword truly carries such terrible fortune, then the person who gave it as a birthday gift may have harbored malicious intent. I will investigate thoroughly after returning!”
Fu Xi Yan asked with absolutely no tact, “How long will that take?”
Zuo Li De fell silent for a moment. “Tomorrow. Tomorrow I will definitely give the two of you an explanation.”