The three drank tea for a while. Although Qian Xuelang and Shui Wuchen were friends, they had been apart for so long that they did not know what to say.
Shui Wuchen asked a few questions about Qian’s recent life. Naturally, given his personality, he had no amusing anecdotes to offer and simply answered whatever she asked. The atmosphere finally grew truly chilly.
“Oh dear, your temperament is still as troublesome as ever.” Shui Wuchen sighed helplessly and turned to Ren. “Since young friend Ren knows how to get along with Brother Xue, could you please find us something to talk about? If we wait like this much longer, I fear there really will be a bloodbath.”
Qian said haughtily, “Are you capable of that?”
Shui Wuchen was furious.
Ren had not intended to meddle, but considering that the Jade Beauty and Shui Wuchen were friends, he felt he ought to ask a question on Qian’s behalf, so the Jade Beauty would have one less thing to worry about.
“If Miss Wuchen won’t take offense, I do have a question.”
Holding her teacup, Shui Wuchen smiled. “I won’t know whether it’s offensive until I’ve heard it. If it is, I simply won’t answer. Besides, whatever you ask, it can’t possibly be more offensive than Brother Xue. Go ahead.”
Ren spoke slowly. “Master Jiufang clearly cherishes you deeply. Did he never seek to hold anyone accountable for what happened back then?”
Shui Wuchen’s gaze flickered. “Oh? I’m afraid I don’t understand. What exactly do you mean by ‘what happened’?”
“Naturally, the Jiufang clansman who gravely injured Miss Wuchen.”
The smile remained on Shui Wuchen’s face. “When did I ever say the attacker was a Jiufang clansman?”
“When you mentioned it, you hesitated briefly. That alone made me about seventy percent sure. Later, when you said you used your music to guide the Jade Beauty because you feared he would tear down the residence, I became completely certain. If the formations are that formidable, how could an ordinary intruder have broken in? You said Master Jiufang laid them. If someone had forced their way through by brute strength, I doubt you would still be alive. So the intruder must have known the formations well, and a member of the Jiufang clan is the most likely suspect.”
Shui Wuchen stared at him. Her smile faded, and she regarded Ren with a grave expression. “You’re very observant. I said those things casually, yet you even noticed that single moment of hesitation.”
Qian finally spoke, his voice deepening. “Wuchen?”
“Come now, why so serious? It isn’t such a great matter.” Shui Wuchen paused and let out a breath before continuing. “Young friend Ren is right. Ce-lang loves me dearly, and his temper isn’t particularly good. If he knew about this, he’d turn over far more than the residence. He might overturn the heavens themselves.”
Qian said coldly, “You didn’t tell him? Why not?”
Shui Wuchen answered calmly, “And then what? He was already searching everywhere for clues on my behalf and treating my injuries. He was exhausted and overwhelmed. Should I have told him that his own family came here to harm me, then sent him back to demand an explanation and fight his relatives and friends to the bitter end? However capable he may be, I doubt he could have managed so many things at once.”
Only after hearing this did the two men understand that husband and wife had each borne their own hardships. For decades they had accompanied and protected one another, always mindful of each other’s feelings. No wonder their love remained as ardent as ever.
“I spoke out of turn,” Ren admitted.
Shui Wuchen smiled and shook her head. “You raised this because you were worried Ce-lang might not treat me well. We’ve only just met, so you must have asked for Brother Xue’s sake. I appreciate your concern. Thank you both.”
Although the subject had been melancholy, it finally opened the way for conversation. By the time Jiufang Ce returned to the front hall, Shui Wuchen was talking about Daihai’s local specialties. She turned around as though she had eyes in the back of her head.
“Ce-lang.” The delight on Shui Wuchen’s face had not yet faded when she saw his expression. At once it softened into concern. “Why do you look so upset?”
At the sight of his wife, Jiufang Ce’s face regained some warmth. He shook his head. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry. Your affairs are the most important right now.”
Two disciples had followed him inside: Jiufang Shixuan and Jiufang Ziming.
Hearing this, Jiufang Shixuan went deathly pale. “Lord… Lord Dingtao.”
“Enough!” Jiufang Ce suddenly barked. “If you want to stay and hear the clues about the Taishu massacre, I’ll save you two seats. If not, leave at once!”
The other three saw him lose his temper and refuse to spare the two juniors any dignity even before outsiders. Clearly the Jiufang clan had angered him, and the two boys were suffering for it.
Shui Wuchen said evenly, “That’s enough. Why get so angry? You’ll frighten my guests. I may have far fewer guests than you, but that doesn’t mean they can be treated carelessly.”
Even in his anger, Jiufang Ce could not help smiling softly at her words. He cupped his hands toward Qian and Ren in apology before sitting down.
The seats in the hall had originally been arranged according to the distinction between host and guest. Shui Wuchen was the host and had taken the seat of honor while entertaining them. Jiufang Ce, entering later, sat beside her but in the lower-ranking seat.
The two disciples were astonished by this arrangement. They exchanged glances, neither daring to speak rashly for fear of being expelled.
“And you two?” Shui Wuchen asked. “Aren’t you going to sit down properly? Must I invite you personally?”
She did not look especially stern, yet her words were impossible to disobey.
The two disciples stopped their anxious speculation and hurried to their seats.
Once everyone was settled, Shui Wuchen began. “I expect everyone knows the broad outlines of the Taishu massacre, so I won’t repeat them. Brother Xue asked earlier what exactly happened back then. I’ll tell you what I personally experienced.”
The story of the Taishu massacre had circulated through Daihai for years. The most popular version was the romantic tale of a man flying into a rage for a beauty, but as members of the Jiufang clan, Shixuan and Ziming were more familiar with the version in which a cunning demoness committed murder and one of their elders was led astray by love.
Yet whichever version they knew, it had been passed down by others rather than told by someone who had actually been involved.
Although Jiufang Ziming was contemptuous inwardly, he unconsciously sat straighter, curious to hear what Shui Wuchen would say.
Jiufang Shixuan was steadier. He stole a glance at Ren, then sat upright with proper decorum.
“After Ce-lang and I pledged ourselves to each other, urgent business forced us to part for a while. On a whim, I decided to visit his hometown. Perhaps, if the opportunity arose, I could surprise him.” Shui Wuchen related this calmly, without the slightest embarrassment. “When I reached Daihai, the inns were too crowded for my taste, so I found a large tree in the wilderness and made it my resting place.”
The Jiufang clan’s rules were strict. Ziming flushed scarlet, wanting to call Shui Wuchen outrageously bold, but sensing something wrong with that judgment. In the end, he said nothing.
Ren considered this. “I imagine that’s how you met Taishu Sheng?”
“For once, you’ve guessed wrong. The first person I met wasn’t Taishu Sheng, but his wife, Bu Yueniang.” Shui Wuchen looked faintly pleased and shook her head with a smile.
Jiufang Shixuan let out a soft “Ah.”
Jiufang Ziming instinctively objected. “Why is she called Bu Yueniang? The storybooks clearly say her name was…”
His voice abruptly stopped. Realizing how absurd his objection was, he muttered, “So the woman’s name was Bu Yueniang. Everyone else simply made up a name for her.”
Jiufang Shixuan asked composedly, “Madam, I heard Bu Yueniang was gravely ill and confined to her bed, rarely even conscious. How did you come to know her?”
“That’s true. Her condition really was that serious.” Shui Wuchen looked approving, then sighed. “To explain that, I must first tell you about a half-demon’s instincts. Demons experience the seven emotions and six desires much more intensely than humans. That can be good or bad. Properly used, it allows us to perceive people’s hearts. But many half-demons are overwhelmed by those feelings, swinging between extreme joy and fury, their moods unpredictable.”
Everyone could not help glancing at Shui Wuchen’s serene face.
“I was resting in that tree, half asleep, when I sensed a tremendously powerful resentment, almost strong enough to coalesce into a nightmare spirit. Curious, I rose and followed the resentment until I came to a small house.”
Jiufang Ziming asked, puzzled, “Her husband was doing so much for her. What could Bu Yueniang still be dissatisfied with? Had she suffered some injustice?”
“Yes. But at the time, I knew nothing of the couple. I only found it strange that this woman was suffering so deeply. So I entered Bu Yueniang’s dream to ask why she felt such resentment.”
Miss Wuchen really has always been eager to help, Ren thought. She probably never imagined that this moment of kindness would bring her so much trouble.
“Bu Yueniang had been weeping miserably in her dream, almost deranged. But when she saw me, she suddenly became overjoyed. I couldn’t understand it, so I stayed and played with her in the dream all night,” Shui Wuchen said. “Before I knew it, the sun was rising and her consciousness was growing dim. She begged me to return the next day. I pitied her loneliness and naturally agreed.”
Jiufang Ziming asked curiously, “Didn’t her husband keep her company?”
Jiufang Shixuan mused, “Presumably Taishu Sheng was out searching for medicine and couldn’t stay with her.”
“Exactly.” Shui Wuchen smiled. “After two or three days, Bu Yueniang finally opened her heart to me and spoke of how loving she and her husband had once been. I asked where he had gone and learned that he was traveling everywhere seeking a cure. She knew she had little time left and wanted only to spend her remaining days with him, but he was always coming and going in haste.”
For a moment, no one knew what to say. Everyone fell silent.
“As her illness grew worse, her husband became desperate to prolong her life, and the time he spent with her dwindled even further. She was close to death, and whenever she briefly regained her senses, she found herself alone at home. Inevitably, she began to feel despair and resentment.”
Jiufang Ziming, ever quick to speak, asked, “Taishu Sheng was a well-known gentleman of his day. Didn’t he have servants at home?”
Jiufang Shixuan sighed sadly. “Ziming, Madam Taishu wanted her husband’s company. Of course no one else could take his place. But life rarely allows us to have everything.”
Realizing he had misunderstood, Ziming felt a little ashamed of having asked such a foolish question.
At this point, Ren began to see the truth. “No wonder no one could stop Taishu Sheng, yet Miss Wuchen managed it as soon as she arrived. It wasn’t necessarily because Miss Wuchen was exceptionally wise and righteous. Taishu Sheng was prepared to kill for his wife, so only his wife could persuade him to stop.”
“Exactly. A conflict born of love can only be resolved through love.”