When the group entered the city in such a bedraggled state, they themselves were still standing, but the guards who saw them nearly fainted first.
At this point Cui Jingchun finally displayed the bearing of a Young City Lord. His orders were crisp and authoritative. He first sent one guard ahead to report, then instructed the others to maintain order and not let their arrival throw the city into confusion.
With Cui Jingchun present, naturally no one obstructed them. Riders and horses went straight into the City Lord’s Manor.
The moment they dismounted, servants responsible for tending spirit beasts came forward to lead the horses away, sparing them any further trouble. Yin Wuchen was still unconscious, so Ren Yijue had no choice but to carry him down.
Cui Jingchun already looked utterly exhausted, but still forced himself to glance at Yin Wuchen before turning to the other disciples. “Everyone has had a hard day. Go rest first. I will report what happened today to Grandfather myself.”
The disciples cupped their hands in farewell and left one after another.
Only Cui Shensi looked back at Cui Jingchun before leaving, his expression deeply worried. Whatever he was thinking, in the end he said nothing.
“As for the two Seniors…” Cui Jingchun thought for a moment before saying slowly, “If you have no other business, why not stay in the manor for a few days? If you need anything, simply tell the servants. Dongxun City has many beautiful sights. Once Jingchun finishes dealing with the matters at hand, I will come invite the two Seniors to see some of them.”
Ren Yijue smiled faintly. “Go attend to your business.”
Cui Jingchun nodded, then summoned two maidservants, gave them a few instructions, and ordered them to lead the pair to their guest quarters.
The two young maids kept their eyes lowered and their manners deferential. They neither asked after nor showed any curiosity about the unconscious Yin Wuchen. Walking ahead, they said in voices neither loud nor soft, “Please follow us.”
As they went, pavilions, terraces, towers, and halls appeared among ornamental rocks and trees, secluded and elegant. Though the manor stood amid the bustle of the mortal world, it possessed a distinct sense of being removed from it.
After the four passed through a small bamboo grove, the two maids were about to split up. Ren Yijue stopped and smiled. “One moment… Come to think of it, how should we address you two?”
One of the maids, dressed in green, said, “Dao Lord, you honor us too much. This servant is called Lüyun, and she is Hongfei. The two Dao Lords may simply call us by our names.”
The maid in red said nothing, but dipped in a curtsey as well.
Ren Yijue smiled. “Very well, Miss Lüyun. I wonder whether the Jade Beauty and I will be staying near each other?”
“The Young Master instructed us that the two Seniors are very close and should not be separated inconveniently. Therefore, this Jade Beauty Dao Lord will stay at Bright Moon Mist Tower, while Dao Lord Ren will stay at Quiet Mountain Cloud Residence. Dustless Waterside Pavilion connects the two. If you wish to see each other, you need only cross a single winding corridor.”
What ‘Jade Beauty Senior’?
Ren Yijue could not help laughing aloud. But when he saw Qian Xuelang still looking perfectly indifferent, without the slightest change in expression, the smile on Ren Yijue’s face gradually faded.
“If that is the case, why separate us at all?” Ren Yijue said. “Please lead the way together, ladies. Ren would rather like to see both Bright Moon Mist Tower and Quiet Mountain Cloud Residence.”
The two maids naturally agreed and resumed walking side by side. Quiet Mountain Cloud Residence was closer from here, so they headed first toward Ren Yijue’s quarters.
Before long they arrived. Pines and bamboo intermingled in lush green, and piled stones rose among them. Looking into the distance, one saw overlapping green mountains, misted ridges, and cloud-wreathed peaks. Surrounded by mountains, the residence truly felt like a hermit’s dwelling deep in the wilderness.
Ren Yijue smiled faintly. “It truly is a fine place.”
He laid Yin Wuchen down inside the room and studied him carefully for a moment before joking with Qian Xuelang. “Ropes and formations alone do not seem entirely reassuring. Why does the Jade Beauty not strike him once more and make certain Yin Wuchen cannot wake for a good while?”
Qian Xuelang only said, “Why go to so much trouble?”
He formed a hand seal and pressed his fingers to Yin Wuchen’s brow. Spiritual light flashed. Pain twisted Yin Wuchen’s face at first, but before long his expression relaxed into peace, as though he had fallen into a deep and dreamless sleep.
“I have sealed his Niwan,” Qian Xuelang said, withdrawing his hand. “Unless I release the seal, he will never wake again.”
Elio’s Notes: The Niwan (泥丸) is a Daoist and cultivation term for a spiritual center in the head, commonly associated with the upper dantian.
Ren Yijue looked at Yin Wuchen’s peaceful face and involuntarily felt waves of chill. A joke hovered on his lips for a moment, but he swallowed it and said slowly, “In that case, let us go admire the Jade Beauty’s residence.”
Seeing his displeased expression, Qian Xuelang asked mildly, “Why did you suddenly become unhappy?”
Ren Yijue sighed softly. “It is nothing. I am not unhappy.”
“A lie.” Qian Xuelang glanced at him but did not pursue it. “Never mind. Let us go.”
The two maids had quietly watched Qian Xuelang cast the spell without speaking. Hearing that they were leaving, they turned to lead the way again. They passed through a moon gate and, after only a few steps, reached a long winding corridor. In the distance stood an open pavilion. Two of its sides were hung with translucent, drifting merfolk silk that billowed in the wind and shimmered beneath the sunlight like spreading ripples. Presumably, this was Dustless Waterside Pavilion.
Naturally, no one was inside the waterside pavilion, and true to its name, not a speck of dust could be seen. The four did not linger and continued toward Bright Moon Mist Tower.
Bright Moon Mist Tower stood over the water. When mist rose and clouds of vapor gathered, the “mist” in its name became obvious. The little tower was arranged with exceptional elegance and had two floors: the bedchamber occupied the upper level, while the lower was for receiving guests and admiring the scenery. Half the window framed shadows of flowers, the other half moonlight upon the water.
Ren Yijue thought to himself, Such a lovely place. What a waste it will be.
Sure enough, Qian Xuelang chose a seat, closed his eyes to rest, and asked about nothing at all.
Lüyun was quick with her hands. Seeing that the two had nothing else they needed, she began heating water and preparing tea. Beside her, Hongfei asked, “What sort of incense do the two Dao Lords prefer?”
There were many mosquitoes and insects over the water, so incense was often burned in Bright Moon Mist Tower, both to repel them and to clear away the stale air of a residence long left unoccupied.
“Something light will do.” Ren Yijue’s moods always came quickly and left just as quickly. The faint gloom from earlier had already vanished without a trace, and he deliberately mimicked the maid’s wording. “The Jade Beauty Dao Lord does not care for heavy fragrances.”
Hongfei acknowledged him, carefully blended the aromatics, and covered the incense burner. A faint fragrance drifted out, not rich or cloying in the least, but refreshing all the way into the lungs.
“Please have some tea.” Lüyun steeped two cups with boiling water and set them beside the two men.
Holding his tea, Ren Yijue smiled. “Neither the Jade Beauty nor I am accustomed to having people wait on us. You two should go attend to your own work rather than bustle around here. The route is not difficult to remember. I can find my own way back.”
The two women exchanged a glance, softly voiced their assent, and withdrew from Bright Moon Mist Tower.
“What does the Jade Beauty think of this place?” Ren Yijue lightly inhaled the tea’s fragrance.
Qian Xuelang said, “Ten thousand mountains and waters already exist between Heaven and Earth. To fabricate them by human craft, enclosing mountains and channeling water, may seem like heavenly workmanship to mortals. To a cultivator, it is nothing more than extravagant indulgence and a great deal of artisan ingenuity.”
“What a harsh assessment.” Ren Yijue shook his head. “The Cui Clan is, after all, a great and wealthy house. If all of them lived in snow caves like the Jade Beauty, would that many disciples not end up hollowing out a perfectly good mountain?”
Qian Xuelang said calmly, “Are you asking what I think of this place, or what all living beings think of it?”
Ren Yijue was left speechless.
“If you do not want my answer,” Qian Xuelang said, “then do not ask me again.”
His voice, as always, held little rise or fall and no severity whatsoever. Yet Ren Yijue felt as though a whip had struck him, and for a time he could say nothing.
Ren Yijue knew Qian Xuelang was not angry. Precisely because he was not angry, the words chilled him so deeply.
This man without emotion had room in his eyes for no one but himself.
The occasional flashes of endearing charm Ren Yijue saw in him were nothing more than momentary illusions.