The two passed the stele of Impermanence and soon turned onto a narrow footpath.
The path twisted and wound, so narrow they could scarcely walk abreast. Fortunately, it had no branches, so there was no danger of losing their way. After a while the weeds grew thick on either side, and pines and bamboo mingled to form a wood. Tender yellows and deep greens filled the eye, possessing a spare elegance peculiar to late spring and early summer.
Before long, a scent thickened among the trees. Rather than flowers, it resembled powdered perfumes and fragrant cosmetics. It filled the forest with a faint, sweet pink mist, obscuring the path ahead as though the road had ended there.
Qian Xuelang stopped. “Hmm? Ren Yijue, what is this?”
“Oh!” Seeing the mist, Ren Yijue abruptly recalled something. “So we’ve already reached this place. This is the Floral Mist Maze laid by Mister Huanqing of the Impermanence Market. They say that in earlier years ordinary woodcutters and hunters wandered into the market by mistake and caused a few minor troubles. That’s why this maze was set up. The Jade Beauty needn’t worry.”
A breeze brought the sweet fragrance into Qian Xuelang’s nose. He frowned.
“This is only the outer boundary, yet the flower scent is already enough to intoxicate a person. Who knows what it is like farther in? Even some weaker cultivators might not resist this fragrant formation. Surely its purpose is not merely to keep mortals out.”
Ren Yijue chuckled. “Well, when flowers crowd thick and willows grow dense, only those who can push their way through prove their skill. Anyone incapable of overcoming even this would enter the Impermanence Market only to find there was no way out.”
“In that case, this Mister Huanqing is rather thoughtful,” Qian Xuelang said evenly.
Ren Yijue rubbed his nose. “I can’t say whether he’s thoughtful. But we’re about to visit him and ask after the Desire Demon Hua Hanyan. There’s no harm in saying a few good things about him.”
Before Qian Xuelang could reply, Ren Yijue suddenly slapped his forehead. “Right! I almost forgot something important.”
“What impor—”
Qian Xuelang had not finished speaking when something cool swept across his face. The soft white gauze brushed him, lifting his frost-white hair and letting the mountain wind leave it slightly disheveled. Ren Yijue had removed his veiled hat.
With his left hand Ren Yijue took off the hat; with his right he produced, from who knew where, an exceptionally fearsome bronze mask and put it on himself. Both hands worked at once without the least delay. He exclaimed cheerfully, “There! Let’s go!”
Qian Xuelang did not move. His eyes met Ren Yijue’s. “Explain.”
Ren Yijue’s expression was completely concealed by the mask, and even his voice seemed to have become deeper and steadier. “The Jade Beauty is so beautiful. Wouldn’t it be nice to open the eyes of the people in the Impermanence Market?”
The mask might steady his voice, but it plainly could not steady his disposition. His eyes shone with playful delight, and there was no telling what crafty little scheme had occurred to him.
Knowing Ren Yijue was sometimes hopelessly unserious, Qian Xuelang saw little point in questioning him and let him have his way.
They crossed the Floral Mist Maze and finally entered the Impermanence Market.
The market was a place of trade, not permanent residence. Unlike Dongxun City, it had no settled multistory shops and buildings. Everywhere one looked were makeshift arrangements that seemed ready to be packed up and taken away at a moment’s notice.
Yet in bustle and prosperity it was in no way inferior to Dongxun City’s busiest market streets.
The most common stalls were wagons. Those with a little more money put up simple sheds. Others arrived carrying poles or cages, set their goods down wherever they pleased, and considered themselves open for business.
People flowed back and forth, with paths seemingly everywhere. They could walk as they liked and browse what they liked. Despite the apparent confusion, their movements followed a surprising order. The positions of the stalls had evidently been arranged with care rather than left to chance.
Qian Xuelang surveyed the crowd. Everyone in the market concealed their identity or face, and their auras mingled the strange and the sinister. It was a real assortment. Beyond ordinary cultivators, demonic cultivators, and half-demons, there were likely plenty of spirits and yao among them.
He studied others, and naturally others studied him.
Tall and exceptionally beautiful, Qian Xuelang’s distant manner gave him the appearance of a heavenly being carved from cold snow: an unclaimed treasure dropped into the Impermanence Market, bound to arouse covetous eyes.
In this market, everyone was merchandise, everyone was a buyer, and everyone was a seller.
Ren Yijue had expected something of the sort, but not quite so many stares. For now, all he could do was limit the damage. With a rueful smile he said, “The Jade Beauty had better not let those lovely eyes wander everywhere. I’m afraid you’ll only draw trouble upon yourself.”
Qian Xuelang ignored the looks as completely as Ren Yijue’s warning. Noticing that they had turned back and forth so many times they seemed to be circling the same place, he frowned. “Where is this Mister Huanqing you mentioned?”
As they spoke, two burly men approached, one from ahead and one from behind. They picked up speed, heading directly for Qian Xuelang. Whether they meant merely to grope him or had greater ambitions, combining that with a little theft, was difficult to tell.
Even Ren Yijue had noticed the pair. When Qian Xuelang showed no response, he blinked, suddenly uncertain whether the Jade Beauty had a plan or had simply failed to notice their intentions.
Still undecided, Ren Yijue was reaching out to gather Qian Xuelang toward him when the figure vanished from before his eyes.
One man had intended to seize Qian Xuelang, the other to block Ren Yijue. But as though shoved by some unseen force, neither could halt his momentum. They crashed straight into each other’s arms and rolled together in a rather intimate heap. Nearby stallholders laughed without the slightest restraint.
“Hmph. The people of your Impermanence Market are certainly amusing.”
Having sent the pair into each other’s embrace, Qian Xuelang turned smoothly at the waist and alighted behind Ren Yijue. Tilting his head slightly, he spoke those words in a calm voice beside Ren Yijue’s ear.
The Jade Beauty’s body held a faint chill, and his tone was no warmer. The long, snow-white fingers resting on Ren Yijue’s shoulder resembled a white snake draped lightly there, hissing as it flicked out its tongue.
Ren Yijue no longer knew whether to feel spellbound by beauty or chilled to the bone. If that hand on his shoulder suddenly decided to twist off his head, it would scarcely take any effort. He gave a bitter smile. “Before this turns into a full-blown disturbance, we’d better get going.”
For cultivators of their abilities, shaking off a few people was child’s play. By the time the onlookers and those two troublemakers thought to look for them, they had vanished without a trace.
Ren Yijue sighed. “I had wanted to parade the Jade Beauty about a little longer. Now I suppose we’d better find Mister Huanqing first.”
“What exactly are you planning?” Qian Xuelang asked evenly. “Ren Yijue, you’re no fool. I imagine you have some other purpose in behaving this way.”
“Nothing escapes the Jade Beauty. Deals in the Impermanence Market always have a time limit. A promise good now might be worthless in the next moment. Seeking out Mister Huanqing is one approach, but we can’t depend entirely on him. He might lie, deceive us, or have plans of his own.”
Qian Xuelang knitted his brows. “Get to the point.”
Ren Yijue smiled. “Wouldn’t it be better if the Desire Demon came looking for us herself? Still, I never imagined the market had attracted so many idiots over the years. To act recklessly without even knowing whom they’re dealing with! I hope they didn’t frighten the Jade Beauty?”
Apart from the fierce, crushing hatred he had earlier sensed from Wei Wenfeng, Qian Xuelang had scarcely been frightened by anything in his life. “No,” he replied.
“That’s good.” Ren Yijue let the matter drop lightly and took Qian Xuelang’s hand. “I’ll take the Jade Beauty to see Mister Huanqing now.”
This time Ren Yijue was much more cautious. He chose the less crowded routes and slipped quickly through narrow gaps between wagons. Apart from several roaming pairs of eyes still fixed stubbornly on Qian Xuelang, they attracted no further serious trouble.
Mister Huanqing also occupied a wagon, but his was an exceptionally luxurious carriage drawn by a pair of beasts.
The two yao beasts had deer heads and horse bodies. One lay down, sleeping so soundly it might as well have been unconscious, drool spreading across the ground from its deer mouth. The other stood, snorting impatiently and repeatedly turning to chew on its own harness. Even when the two men approached, it paid them no attention.
Ren Yijue led Qian Xuelang around behind the carriage. Beneath the carriage body stood a short flight of redwood steps for boarding, polished to a lustrous sheen and giving off a faint fragrance.
Qian Xuelang glanced about and noticed that the carriage stood alone. Unlike the other stalls, it was not squeezed among its neighbors, and there was scarcely any foot traffic. Puzzled, he asked, “What does this Mister Huanqing sell?”
Before Ren Yijue could answer, a warm, mellow laugh floated out from inside. “Since I am called Huanqing, naturally I sell a spell of amorous delight. Ordinary things have their price, but delight of the heart is hard to come by. How many wealthy patrons in this world can afford it?”
The carriage door flew open, and a faint flower fragrance emerged. Inside was only darkness. Nothing within could be made out.
“Both of you, please come in.”
Ren Yijue shook his head helplessly and pulled Qian Xuelang up the steps. Though the carriage itself was small, it concealed another world. The two bent to pass through its door and found themselves inside a dazzlingly opulent chamber.
The divine art of holding a vast world within something tiny was hardly remarkable in itself. Qian Xuelang found the furnishings extravagant: gold, pearls, rich brocade, and embroidered silk everywhere. The owner’s tastes resembled those of one of his aunts in childhood. Both were people who knew how to indulge in luxury.
Luminous pearls served as lamps, flooding the room with light as bright as day. A scarlet carpet covered the floor in a sea of red, while famous blossoms and exquisite greenery heightened the seductive splendor.
Outside, they had climbed steps to board; inside, they had to descend steps. Qian Xuelang went down. Even through his shoes and socks he could feel the carpet’s softness, as though he were stepping barefoot into the heart of a flower. An unexpectedly sensual feeling stirred in him.
His mind grew sharply alert. Something here was wrong. Ren Yijue, however, seemed thoroughly accustomed to the place. Keeping a firm hold on Qian Xuelang’s hand, he led him deeper in.
“My dear friend Cangyuan.” Mister Huanqing was arranging flowers in a vase. He neatly snipped off a bud he held between his fingers, put it aside, then set down his shears before turning around at his leisure.
“It’s been a very long time.”
Although the greeting was addressed to Ren Yijue, the man’s eyes immediately settled, in all honesty, upon Qian Xuelang’s face. His expression changed at once.
“And who might this beauty be?”
Ren Yijue instinctively glanced at Qian Xuelang, uncertain how to introduce him. Qian Xuelang, expression cool, returned the look as though leaving the entire question to him.
“Well, he…”
“Oh, I know.” Mister Huanqing took in their exchanged looks and teased, “To make my fearless friend Cangyuan so restrained and embarrassed that he dares not decide for himself, this must surely be your esteemed spouse.”
For the first time, Ren Yijue felt that this supposedly perceptive friend of his was both utterly lacking in virtue and devoid of brains. A chill ran down his neck.