Gentle, lilting music floated through the surging mist. Ren Yijue felt some mysterious attraction in the unseen distance, drawing him farther away.
The pull did not come from the music itself. It stirred inside his body, coursed through his blood, and wandered restlessly beneath his skin, urging Ren Yijue forward with irresistible force.
Ren Yijue did not walk quickly. All his life he had often been seized by sudden whims, but that did not mean he had to act on every last one.
Just as he was wondering whether to stop, the music grew clearer. At some point a woman’s light, ethereal singing joined it, washing the agitation from his heart like flowing springwater.
Such a soothing melody? Who could be…
Ren Yijue walked into the demonic mist, with no idea where he was going. He simply followed the music. After an unknown length of time, the space before him suddenly opened into an enormous clearing scattered with ancient human remains. Time had devoured them until nothing was left but piles of bones. Some bones had become riddled with holes and moaned when the wind blew through them.
The sounds of the bones mingling with the woman’s gentle song made for an indescribably eerie spectacle.
Puzzled, Ren Yijue heard that the singing was nearby. Carefully avoiding the bones, he searched until he discovered a cavern behind a rock. After a moment’s hesitation, he went inside.
The cave was filled with translucent quartz, while crystals as red as roses sprouted from the walls. They did not look especially bright in the darkness, but when Ren Yijue raised a flame to see better, the whole crystal cavern shimmered with color. Red light flowed across the walls like blood pulsing through veins, as though a human heart were beating within the stone.
For an instant Ren Yijue almost believed he had entered not a cave but the interior of a living body.
The passages twisted and turned but were not hard to follow. The deeper he went, the smoother the transparent quartz protruding like thorns from the walls became, until it was polished almost like a mirror. It reminded Ren Yijue of the stone walls of Jingyuan, and of the strange demonkin figure who had appeared upon them. He had never seen that strange being again.
Come to think of it… that was a rare kind of fate, too.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but when Ren Yijue thought of that strange demonkin, he seemed to hear chains rattling. Soon the sound came again, louder and more distinct this time, so loud that it even disrupted the rhythm of the music.
The singing abruptly stopped, as though someone had noticed an unwelcome visitor. Before Ren Yijue could venture farther and see what lay inside, the woman’s music suddenly quickened. The soothing melody changed its tune, and Ren Yijue felt his whole body shudder, as if his very limbs were being controlled by it. He was astonished.
Strings rang sharply. Ren Yijue’s heart pounded and his blood surged upward. His limbs moved beyond his control, as though they must dance to the tune, and even his spiritual consciousness grew muddled. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he instinctively bit the tip of his tongue. The sharp pain brought him back to himself. He immediately sealed off his hearing. He could still feel the sound waves vibrating through him, but their influence was far weaker than when he could hear them directly.
Ren Yijue hurriedly sat down to regulate his breathing, feeling rather guilty. I’ve wandered somewhere I shouldn’t be. I must have interrupted something important… No, wait. This is the Third Veil. Bai Wujin said no one lived here. Why would there be someone in this place? How strange.
Once he had recovered a little, another thought occurred to him. Then again, it’s not so strange. Are the Jade Beauty and I the only ones allowed to come here? Still, this place is extraordinarily unusual, and I heard chains inside. Something must be imprisoned here, though whether a person or a yao beast I can’t tell. Why has that woman come to soothe it with music?
He found himself amused at the thought. Since when had the Third Veil become a place anyone could enter and leave as they pleased?
Ren Yijue was curious, but he already had more troubles than he could count. Besides, the woman inside clearly did not welcome him. He had no reason to force his way into her cave. He could always investigate another time.
He made up his mind to leave. But just as he was turning away, an alluring woman appeared around the corner, anger lurking in her expression. She cradled a moon lute in her arms and glared coldly at Ren Yijue.
Ren Yijue froze at the sight of her. The woman’s willow-shaped brows first rose in anger, then slowly settled into a grave expression as she studied him.
“Who are you?”
Ren Yijue was startled, but then remembered he was in his demonic body. No wonder Hua Hanyan did not recognize him. He replied in a low voice, “A passerby.”
“A passerby?” Hua Hanyan paused, then recovered herself and smiled seductively. “What an extraordinary passerby. How did you happen to pass straight into someone else’s cave residence?”
Though she smiled, she was cursing inwardly without end. Damn it! Since when did the Third Veil become somewhere anyone could simply stroll into? I’ve had nothing but dreadful luck lately. First that impossible White-Jade Skeleton, then the Demon-Slaying Sword I couldn’t obtain, and now an actual demonkin appearing here! Is this bastard really passing through or not? Did he see what I was doing?
Ren Yijue gave a silent scoff. In a deep voice he asked, “You’re such a beautiful woman. Are you really willing to live here and endure the hardships of secluded cultivation?”
Something stirred in Hua Hanyan’s face. Her gaze shifted and her eyes abruptly filled with a watery shine. Holding the moon lute in one arm, she twirled her long hair with her free hand and murmured sweetly, “Do… do you truly think I’m beautiful? I’ve always cultivated quietly in this cave and never once gone outside. I don’t know anything about hardships or austere practice. Would you take me out to see the world?”
Had Ren Yijue not seen it with his own eyes, he could never have imagined that Hua Hanyan was capable of pretending to be such an innocent, sheltered girl. He was impressed, but his suspicions had already awakened.
Why has Hua Hanyan come sneaking into this cave? What’s locked up inside it? Does Bai Wujin know about this?
“Very well. I’ll take you outside.”
Ren Yijue understood that she was preventing him from going any farther. He did not know whether she was more afraid of the being bound inside by chains or of him, though the former seemed likelier. He had no intention of forcing the issue. And so they went out together, each harboring their own ulterior motives.
As Ren Yijue was thinking, he felt a sudden weight upon his arm. Hua Hanyan had leaned against him completely. The moon lute had vanished into storage, and she now clasped his arm. One button at her collar had come undone, revealing a stretch of pale skin and the delicate curve of her collarbones, casting a deep shadow.
Ren Yijue glanced at her. She tilted her face toward him, looking meek and obedient, and said sweetly, “I’ve never walked outside before. I’m afraid I’ll lose my way. If I hold your arm like this, we won’t become separated.”
If Ren Yijue had not known Hua Hanyan reasonably well, he might almost have fallen for the act. Even someone who recognized her lies would find it difficult to call out a lovely, enchanting woman pleading so softly at his side.
Ren Yijue did not look at her for long. He noticed their reflections on the crystal walls, overlapping as they leaned close together, and suddenly thought, If the Jade Beauty ever took my arm, I can’t imagine how happy I’d be. But he would never lean against me like this. Even if I tried leaning against him instead, he might not allow it.
An unexpected melancholy rose within him. Hua Hanyan’s eyes were shifting, her manner shy and soft and sweet, and her expression was extraordinarily captivating. Even though Ren Yijue had already given his heart to someone else, he could not help feeling tenderness toward her.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Hua Hanyan lowered her face and rested her head against his shoulder, her waterfall of hair spilling down in the most docile and gentle fashion.
Red light flowed through the cavern and shone upon her hair. Ren Yijue thought, I always used to consider men who fell for the beauty trap idiots. Now I think that if the Jade Beauty used such a trap on me, I’d willingly throw myself into mountains of blades and seas of fire. He wouldn’t even need to act like Hua Hanyan. He could simply order me about with his usual proud air. How could I possibly refuse him?
Ren Yijue sighed without thinking.
Hua Hanyan asked again, “Why are you sighing?”
“Beautiful though you are, you’ve lived in this cave so long that I fear you wouldn’t understand such matters,” Ren Yijue said, deliberately trying to distract her.
Hua Hanyan gave a silent snort but spoke in her usual soft, cloying voice. “How can you know I won’t understand if you don’t tell me? Even if I really don’t, keeping everything bottled up can’t be pleasant. Why not tell me and ease your heart?”
By then they had reached the outside. Corpses and bones lay scattered everywhere. Hua Hanyan’s expression stiffened as she tried to work out how to maintain her guise as an innocent recluse while explaining her merciless slaughter. Yet the demon stepped over the remains without the slightest change of expression. She fell silent, suddenly remembering that half-demons sometimes thought quite differently from humans.
Ren Yijue pretended to consider her advice, then nodded. “You make a fair point.”
Hua Hanyan was equally curious about the secrets of this demon, who could enter the Third Veil at will. She smiled. “Then I’m all ears.”
“There’s someone I love very much, but that person doesn’t love me.” Ren Yijue’s words were half sincere, half a pretense. “You’ve spent your life secluded in a cave. How could you know anything about love in the mortal world?”
Hua Hanyan barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes, but maintained her innocent manner. “If she doesn’t like you, why not find someone who does?”
“If only it were that simple.”
Hua Hanyan had originally regarded him as prey, but seeing that he was yet another foolish romantic left her thoroughly irritated. She simply changed the subject. “By the way, we’ve been walking so long and I haven’t asked your name. I’m called A-Yan.”
Ren Yijue thought, I can’t keep using Cangyuan or Ren Yijue. I need another name. Hm… the Jade Beauty is called Qian Xuelang. I’ve got it. I’ll call myself Wan Yuntao. To behold snow-waves and gaze upon cloud-billows… I wonder whether I’ll truly be blessed with such happiness someday.
“Wan Yuntao.”
Elio’s Notes: Ren’s new alias Wan Yuntao (万云涛, “ten thousand cloud-billows”) mirrors Qian Xuelang (千雪浪, “a thousand snow-waves”). His private phrase pairs their names as a wish to remain together.
Hua Hanyan knew nothing of his thoughts. Smiling, she praised him. “What a lovely name! May I call you Brother Wan?”
Ren Yijue gave her a knowing half smile. Fortunately his current body was tall enough, and his face revealed so little emotion, that he betrayed nothing to her. “Call me whatever you like,” he said in a deep voice.
“By the way, Brother Wan,” Hua Hanyan asked tentatively, “did you notice anything unusual when you came in earlier?”
Ren Yijue stared. “Unusual? What do you mean?”
Hua Hanyan was silent for a while, then shook her head with a smile. “Nothing. I once set up a barrier around this place, but it seems so much time has passed that it’s gone.”
The barrier outside the cave had failed to work.
Both Ren Yijue’s and Hua Hanyan’s hearts sank.