By the time Qian Xuelang went out, the sun was already high in the sky. Distracted and upset, he left without putting on his veiled hat.
The residence was splendidly furnished but had few guest rooms, which were all close together. As soon as Qian stepped outside, he heard two young disciples practicing sword techniques in the neighboring courtyard.
After Jiufang Ziming had been barred from returning the previous day, the two must have feared being locked out again and decided to practice inside.
Qian Xuelang had no idea how long they had been sparring, but he had taken only a few steps when Jiufang Ziming shouted, “Enough, enough! I’m worn out! Senior Brother, when are we going back?”
Jiufang Shixuan put away his sword. “I don’t know. We must wait for Lord Dingtao to relent, or for the clan head to give us further instructions.”
Relent?
Something stirred in Qian Xuelang’s mind. He had not cared about the matter before, but now that he suspected Shui Wuchen’s troubles might involve a struggle for power within the Jiufang clan, he entered the courtyard and asked, “What exactly did you come to Jiufang Ce for?”
Jiufang Ziming turned at the voice and complained, “Why are you eavesdropping on other people’s con—”
Before he could finish the word, he saw Qian Xuelang’s uncovered face. His mouth fell open into a perfect circle. Jiufang Shixuan beside him was likewise taken aback.
A teasing voice suddenly came from the top of the wall. “My, my! That young disciple’s mouth could hold an egg quite nicely. No, wait, even a phoenix egg would fit with room to spare.”
Without lifting his head, Qian Xuelang asked, “Ren Yijue, what are you doing on the wall?”
“Climbing high to enjoy the view,” Ren Yijue answered confidently. He flipped down lightly and smiled. “If I hadn’t been up there, how could I have enjoyed young friend Ziming’s performance?”
“W-what performance!” Jiufang Ziming finally recovered and flushed crimson. He waved his arms angrily and nearly sent his sword flying.
“Careful, careful!” Ren Yijue cried. “Wave your arms about all you like, but don’t let that sword fly too.”
Yet he did not look very alarmed.
Ren Yijue folded his arms and looked over the three of them. Seeing the two youths so embarrassed, a playful notion occurred to him, and he smiled. “The Jade Beauty has let you see his heavenly face. You’ve gotten a marvelous bargain. Whatever he asks, you’d best answer honestly.”
Before Jiufang Shixuan could speak, Jiufang Ziming shot back, “Hey, be reasonable! First, he’s the one who didn’t wear his veil. Second, he came here on his own. We didn’t sneak a look on purpose! How could we have taken advantage of him? If anything, we were forced to take advantage! Isn’t that right, Senior Brother?”
Jiufang Shixuan coughed and stammered without finding a reply. Plainly his elders had never taught him how to handle such a situation.
Ren Yijue had not expected them to take the bait so thoroughly. He burst out laughing and clapped his hands. Jiufang Ziming realized he had been fooled again, turned an even deeper red, and immediately faced Qian Xuelang. “He keeps making jokes about you. Doesn’t that make you angry?”
Qian Xuelang replied coolly, “He says something and you choose to listen. What does any of that have to do with me?”
His expression was cold and his words colder. All three listeners felt a chill run up their backs and could not help shivering.
Previously the veil had prevented the two disciples from seeing more than his distant manner. Now, meeting his eyes directly, they felt a wave of dread. Their blushes vanished, leaving their faces pale.
Ren Yijue wondered, The Jade Beauty’s state of mind has changed so much since coming down from the mountain. Why has he returned to his old ways today? His expression is even colder than before. Has something upset him?
For all his cleverness, Ren Yijue could hardly guess that a dream had put Qian in a bad mood. Yesterday, he had been smacked merely for touching the Jade Beauty’s hand. If he continued provoking him today, it would be the folly of a reckless fool.
He did not dare tug the tiger’s whiskers and kept his questions to himself.
Jiufang Ziming grumbled inwardly, I thought he wore that hat to spare himself trouble. Now I see it is to keep other people out of trouble.
Just then someone’s stomach growled. All four glanced at one another until Jiufang Shixuan blushed furiously and murmured, “Please excuse me.”
Jiufang Ziming immediately grew alert, bracing for Ren Yijue to tease them again.
“Hmm?” But Ren Yijue did not laugh. He looked genuinely surprised. “You haven’t reached the stage of abstaining from food yet. Has Shui Wuchen not prepared any meals for you?”
Jiufang Shixuan hesitated. “She… she has. Madam Shui was very kind and cooked for us herself, only…”
Qian Xuelang understood at once. “Only it tasted dreadful.”
Jiufang Shixuan fell silent. His hesitation was plain to see.
Jiufang Ziming erupted. “Dreadful? You call that dreadful? She was practically trying to poison Senior Brother and me! Her porridge was purple-blue! Purple-blue! I don’t even know how she made it that color! The dishes were strange too. We forced ourselves to take a bite and nearly threw up bile!”
Now Ren Yijue was truly intrigued. “Then how did you manage the food she made? Surely you didn’t overturn the table?”
Jiufang Shixuan seemed to remember the painful experience and turned even paler. Jiufang Ziming said awkwardly, “Hey, do you think everyone in the Jiufang clan is unreasonable? However awful it was, she made it out of kindness. How could we overturn the table?”
Even Qian Xuelang looked surprised. “Did you eat it all, then?”
Jiufang Shixuan shook his head. “I… I told Madam Shui a lie. I said Ziming and I were practicing the art of abstaining from food and could not eat, and that the disciples who had needed meals had already left. We had disappointed her kindness, so we tried a little to show our appreciation but could not eat any more.”
Jiufang Ziming muttered, “If we had eaten all of it, I’d probably be meeting our founding ancestor by now.”
At that, Jiufang Ziming shuddered again. “I heard Lord Dingtao was badly wounded when Shui Wuchen rescued him. I wonder if she cooked for him while he was injured. Poor Lord Dingtao…”
Ren Yijue could have dismissed the two youngsters as inexperienced, but even Qian Xuelang had reacted that way. He could not help asking, “Was it really that bad?”
Qian Xuelang said calmly, “Shui Wuchen likes three flavors: bitter, sour, and fishy. What do you think?”
As fellow victims, Jiufang Shixuan and Jiufang Ziming instinctively felt a new closeness to Qian Xuelang. Only Ren Yijue, who had escaped the experience, remarked, “That sounds fascinating. I rather want to try it myself.”
Two horrified looks and one disapproving look met him.
Ren Yijue laughed again. “I never expected the dry provisions I prepared before coming would come in handy like this. Come along. Since you’ve claimed to be fasting, you can hardly light the stove now. Shui Wuchen might even refuse you a sip of water for fear of disturbing your cultivation. Come to my room.”
The two disciples still feared Ren Yijue after all the trouble he had given them, but hunger proved stronger. They exchanged a look before Jiufang Ziming whispered, “Senior Brother, if we must die, at least let us die on a full stomach.”
Jiufang Shixuan sighed helplessly. “And you still insist you never bought any storybooks. Where did you learn so many clever sayings?”
All four went to Ren Yijue’s room. He reached into his bag again and again and brought out several oil-paper packets of steamed buns and cakes, then poured two cups of tea. The tea on the table had cooled to a pleasantly warm temperature.
“It isn’t some lavish feast, but you’re hungry enough not to mind. And if you do mind, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Of course, the two disciples did not mind. By their reckoning, they had gone hungry for two days, while still practicing swordsmanship on schedule and using a great deal of energy. Now they were so ravenous their eyes almost gleamed. Only a lingering concern for manners stopped them from devouring the food immediately.
Jiufang Ziming swallowed repeatedly as he tried to endure his hunger. “We’re grateful that you’ve invited us to eat, but don’t imagine Senior Brother and I will reveal any secrets.”
Jiufang Shixuan had intended to say the same, but he was giving careful thought to how to phrase it politely when Jiufang Ziming spoke first.
Ren Yijue roared with laughter. “They’re only a few steamed buns. Do you think this is some immense favor? Just suppose I found the two of you endearing and decided to give you a meal.”
Jiufang Ziming was embarrassed and bewildered. The man before him could be extraordinarily kind one moment, yet frightening the next. He could not fathom what sort of person Ren really was.
Only then did the two begin eating. Jiufang Shixuan, a man of few words, ate carefully and said nothing.
Younger Jiufang Ziming kept eating without pause and swallowed three steamed buns before he noticed. Afraid he would choke from eating too fast, Ren poured him a cup of tea and asked casually, “By the way, how did you come back here with Jiufang Ce? You can tell me that much, surely?”
“We happened to meet him at the foot of the mountain. Lord Dingtao often goes out to exorcise demons and drive off evil. Why do you think those people believe Madam Shui is innocent? Obviously Lord Dingtao has made an effort to win their goodwill.” Jiufang Ziming slowed his eating. “Speaking of which, I just thought of something I can tell you.”
Jiufang Shixuan had meant to remind him that one should not speak while eating, but because Ren Yijue had asked a question, he could hardly interrupt. Hearing Ziming’s last remark, he looked at him doubtfully.
“Senior Brother, that thing…” Jiufang Ziming turned to him for confirmation. “The important matter City Lord Cui mentioned. Surely we can talk about that? I think Madam Shui really is innocent, so there’s no harm in telling them. Besides, we’ve already told Lord Dingtao. Since he knows, Madam Shui must know too.”
After hesitating a moment, Jiufang Shixuan nodded. “That’s true.”
City Lord Cui? Hmm… Lord Dingtao knows, so Madam Shui must know as well.
Ren Yijue smiled. “No need to tell me. I already know. You mean the Demon Calamity is about to rise again, don’t you?”
Jiufang Shixuan and Jiufang Ziming stared at him in shock.
“You were evasive before because you knew Shui Wuchen was a half-demon, and because I had played tricks on you. You probably feared I was some sort of deviant or demonic cultivator myself,” Ren Yijue went on. “Now you’ve met Shui Wuchen and eaten food I gave you, so you’ve decided we cannot be utterly wicked people and are willing to speak. Isn’t that right?”
Jiufang Ziming said blankly, “Y-yes, that’s true. But how did you know about the Demon Calamity…?”
“Who do you think killed that demon thrall in Dongxun City?” Ren Yijue smiled. “It was none other than this Jade Beauty beside me.”