Shui Wuchen rose and paced slowly around the hall for a while before turning to face everyone.
“After I found Taishu Sheng, he learned that Bu Yueniang’s illness had gradually given rise to an inner demon. He was deeply remorseful and hurried home to stay beside his wife day and night.”
Jiufang Ziming immediately brightened. “Oh! That’s wonderful.”
Taishu Sheng’s attempt to seize another person’s treasure had certainly been despicable. But he had acted for the sake of his gravely ill wife, driven to desperation, so even though his actions were contemptible, the people of Daihai still felt some sympathy for him.
That was why Ziming was so pleased to hear of the couple’s reunion.
Jiufang Shixuan’s expression eased a little, but his worry remained. Taishu Sheng may have come home, but Bu Yueniang’s illness was worsening by the day. With so little time left, how many days could they spend together?
His heart sank.
Shui Wuchen continued, “The two of them truly loved one another and were deeply devoted. Bu Yueniang was naturally delighted when her husband returned, but before long, she began to worry again.”
Jiufang Ziming was baffled. “Her husband was home. What else was there to worry about? Her illness?”
He had wanted to ask, Then why did she insist he come back? But after thinking it over, he decided it would be disgraceful to quarrel with a gravely ill woman and wisely kept quiet.
“Of course not.” Shui Wuchen shook her head. “Taishu Sheng had nearly entered the demonic path for her sake, intending to kill and steal treasure. How could she fail to understand his feelings? He was willing to risk his life for her, and she felt exactly the same. She worried just as deeply about him.”
As she spoke, she lifted her head and exchanged a glance with Jiufang Ce. Her eyes shimmered with tender feeling, saying more than words ever could.
Since entering the hall, Jiufang Ce had barely looked at anyone else. His attention was fixed entirely on his wife. When their eyes met, the couple seemed to forget everyone around them.
The story concerned Taishu Sheng and Bu Yueniang, but were Jiufang Ce and Shui Wuchen not the same? Each cared wholeheartedly for the other.
Jiufang Ziming felt deeply moved and strangely uncomfortable at once. The story seemed touching and romantic when applied to Taishu Sheng, but when he thought of Jiufang Ce, it made him squirm. Bu Yueniang was gravely ill and entirely innocent. It makes sense that Taishu Sheng nearly did something terrible for her. But Shui Wuchen murdered people and deceived Lord Dingtao. That’s entirely different.
But did Shui Wuchen really kill anyone?
Even Ziming was no longer so sure. Since childhood, his elders had taught him that righteous sects must stand against demonic cultivators and half-demons. Having never met Shui Wuchen, he had imagined her as an utterly wicked demoness. Now that he had seen her for himself, she seemed nothing like the person he had been taught to fear. He was bewildered.
Ren cleared his throat and returned the conversation to its subject. “I imagine Bu Yueniang was worried about the enemies her husband had made of the Five Eccentrics.”
“Exactly. That was what troubled her.” Shui Wuchen drew back her gaze, lowered her voice, and gradually sounded sorrowful. “She knew she had little time left. After struggling for so long, she’d already accepted her fate. Now that her husband was by her side, she had everything she wanted. The one thing she couldn’t put aside was the blood feud he’d created for her sake. His safety mattered far more to her than her own. Before she died, she wanted to do one last thing for him, so she secretly asked me to visit.”
Jiufang Shixuan could not help exclaiming in concern, “But she was so weak and ill. What could she possibly do?”
“Bu Yueniang’s body was frail, but her spirit was strong. She told me that Taishu Sheng had wanted to kill and seize the treasure entirely because of her illness. In that sense, she was the cause of everything. She wanted me to speak to the Five Eccentrics and use her own life to settle the feud.”
Although Bu Yueniang was close to death, she still had her husband’s company and much to cherish in the world. Those who are ill often cling to life even more fiercely than the healthy. For her to make such an offer meant she had truly set aside all concern for her own survival.
Everyone was shocked, filled with admiration and sorrow. But Ren inexplicably recalled something Qian Xuelang had said a few days earlier.
‘Since you acted for my sake, it’s no different from something I did myself.’
As he thought about it, a foolish tenderness rose in his heart. He could not help turning to look at Qian.
Qian gave him a puzzled glance, unable to understand why Ren was suddenly looking at him. Then he heard Ren say, “There wasn’t yet a feud that could never be resolved. But if Bu Yueniang had really been allowed to settle it with her life, the two sides would truly have become mortal enemies.”
That makes sense, Qian thought. But why look at me?
Shui Wuchen nodded. “Exactly. That’s what I told her. Life, aging, illness, and death are unavoidable. Taishu Sheng had already made enemies while seeking a cure. Whatever the Five Eccentrics thought, if Bu Yueniang actually died at their hands, there would be no room left for mediation. When she heard this, she was at a complete loss and couldn’t stop crying. I comforted her—”
Jiufang Ziming had tried to hold back, but finally interrupted. “But they were already enemies. Was there really another way?”
He had become so engrossed that he instinctively sought Shui Wuchen’s opinion.
“Although Taishu Sheng had behaved aggressively and committed wrongs, fortunately he hadn’t actually killed anyone. There was still room to negotiate.” Shui Wuchen smiled. “The situation may seem impossible to settle, but the Five Eccentrics had been pursued for days. Wouldn’t they be tired of it too? The fact that the conflict had dragged on meant both sides had some ability. If they kept fighting, it might never end. The Five Eccentrics must also have wanted peace. They simply needed a way to save face.”
Jiufang Ziming suddenly understood. “That’s true.”
Only then did Shui Wuchen continue. “Seeing how pitiable the couple were, I reassured Bu Yueniang that I was willing to act as a mediator and help settle the dispute.”
Hearing this, everyone finally understood what lay behind the simple claim that Shui Wuchen had come to Daihai to mediate between Taishu Sheng and the Five Eccentrics.
Shui Wuchen had no desire to take credit, but her account made her kindness, her keen insight into human feelings, and her clear understanding of the larger situation self-evident.
Jiufang Ce watched her with unmistakable pride.
“After some effort, I managed to contact the Five Eccentrics. Because Bu Yueniang also wanted to apologize to them, we agreed to meet at Taishu Sheng’s home.”
Ren suddenly asked, “Weren’t the Five Eccentrics afraid it was a trap?”
“Of course they were. So they insisted they would arrive unexpectedly and inspect the place. If they found any extra friends or relatives there, they would treat it as a trap.” Shui Wuchen smiled. “Taishu Sheng sincerely wanted to resolve the feud and had nothing to hide, so he agreed. He only asked whether he could keep a few maids and servants to care for his wife. The Five Eccentrics agreed to that too.”
Ren thought of the people murdered in the shadow-puppet play. They must have been the servants attending Bu Yueniang. He sighed inwardly.
Jiufang Ziming asked, “And then? What happened that day?”
“That evening, the Five Eccentrics crept in like thieves. Three entered while two remained outside, then they exchanged places, searching the house inside and out. They spent a little less than an hour at it before reluctantly stopping. Bu Yueniang had dressed formally to welcome them, but she was unwell. After such a long delay, she nearly fainted, and Taishu Sheng began to grow angry.”
Something suddenly struck Ren as strange. According to the shadow-puppet play, the Five Eccentrics used the mediation as an opportunity to kill their enemies and remove the threat, then were themselves killed. But from Shui Wuchen’s account, the Five Eccentrics still feared a trap even then. That doesn’t quite make sense. Could it be…
He recalled the black-robed skeleton.
Shui Wuchen continued, “After I mediated, both sides made concessions, and we soon reached the tea-drinking ceremony.”
This was a traditional Daihai custom. When two sides settled a feud, they each drank a cup of tea after explaining their positions, symbolizing that once the tea was finished, the debt was erased. Wine or even boiled well water could be used instead. The important thing was that each person drank a cup. If the mediator had done a great deal of work, both parties might offer the mediator an additional cup.
Because this custom resembled certain marriage rites, such as offering tea to elders or sharing the nuptial wine, people sometimes jokingly called it a wedding cup shared by enemies.
The custom was familiar to Jiufang Ziming and Jiufang Shixuan, who had grown up in Daihai. But because Ren and Qian were also present, Shui Wuchen explained it especially for them.
Qian suddenly said, “What a troublesome custom. Aren’t they afraid someone might poison the drink or put a curse in it?”
Ordinarily he would never have concerned himself with such trivialities. Perhaps spending time with Ren had made him a little more meticulous, so that he had begun noticing loopholes.
“Anyone who observes such etiquette must either belong to a reputable sect or be a well-mannered independent cultivator. Such people value their reputations. Why would they commit such a vile, contemptible act?” Jiufang Shixuan shook his head. “Besides, the mediator is present. If someone truly committed a crime, the truth would eventually emerge. How could the culprit escape?”
Shui Wuchen resumed. “Taishu Sheng prepared a pot of tea himself, while the Five Eccentrics brought a gourd of mountain spring water. Besides the two parties, Bu Yueniang and I both drank the tea and the spring water. Not long afterward, I suddenly felt my blood boiling throughout my body. The pain was unbearable, and my vision kept going black. I knew something was wrong and was about to flee outside when dizziness overcame me. In a haze, I heard Taishu Sheng shout ‘Yueniang!’ Then I lost consciousness.”
Although Shui Wuchen was sitting before them perfectly safe, Jiufang Ziming’s heart still gave a jolt. He asked softly, “Who hurt you? Why would they hurt you for no reason? Did they know you were a half-demon?”
Jiufang Shixuan shook his head. “No. Everyone only learned she was a half-demon afterward. Madam Shui, did you travel openly as a half-demon?”
“His guess was accidentally correct. I really was the target because of my half-demon identity.” Shui Wuchen sighed softly. “I don’t know which drink contained it, but one of them held a secret curse capable of breaking the seal on my demonic blood. By the time I woke, I’d reverted to my half-demon appearance, and everyone had learned what I was.”
“I only learned afterward, from what others told me, that a fire had suddenly broken out in Taishu Sheng’s home. Flames rose high enough to attract passersby. When people arrived, they discovered that everyone was dead, with me the sole survivor. They rescued me, and afterward the house burned to the ground.”
Shui Wuchen fell silent for a long while. “The truth is, I know no more about the incident than you do. After drinking that water, I genuinely knew nothing of what happened. I have no idea what took place, or who drugged me.”
The Five Eccentrics were obviously suspicious, but Taishu Sheng might also have drugged her. Shui Wuchen had met Bu Yueniang because of her unusual demonic instincts. Perhaps something in her words or behavior had given her away. Compared with the Five Eccentrics, who were complete strangers to her, Taishu Sheng had more opportunity to notice.
Bu Yueniang was already seriously ill, and the Five Eccentrics had delayed the meeting for so long. Taishu Sheng’s cry of “Yueniang” did not necessarily mean the Five Eccentrics had drugged anyone. Bu Yueniang might simply have collapsed from exhaustion.
Considering these possibilities, Shui Wuchen, who had no concrete evidence, dared not claim to know who had tampered with the drinks.