Chapter Twenty-Five: Night Gathering at the Ancient Temple

Inside the medicine hut, the lamplight flickered dimly.

Outside, Xian Ge Yue still lay on the rocking chair, basking in the moonlight. Staring at the scattered stars above, who knows what thoughts lingered in her mind?

Gradually, all that remained in Weiye Valley was the chirping of insects and the leaping of frogs.

Meanwhile, after returning to their respective quarters, Xiao Fourth and Lin Mao each found ways to slip away from their attendants or companions.

Late into the night, they secretly made their way to the temple south of the Xiao Tong Waters.

This ancient temple had once thrived, its incense thick and believers plentiful. But for reasons unknown, it had long since fallen into decline; now, cobwebs draped the eaves and dust blanketed every surface.

Wild grass overran the courtyard, desolation seeping from every corner.

The two men arrived at the temple gates almost simultaneously. Lin Mao clasped his hands in greeting. “What a coincidence. It seems fate has truly bound Xiao and me for a long road.”

Xiao Fourth’s lips curled in a smirk. He idly twirled a flute between his fingers, then abruptly stopped. “Indeed, what a coincidence. After you.”

“We have arrived together, so let us enter together, Xiao,” Lin Mao replied, returning the gesture.

Xiao Fourth hesitated, then laughed it off. “Very well, very well.”

They stepped inside. Suddenly, a large bird burst from the weeds.

“Whoa!” Xiao Fourth, startled, jumped aside.

Lin Mao shot him a glance and seized the moment. “What’s this? Was your bravado earlier today all for show, Xiao? A few wild birds are enough to frighten you?”

“Ahem… Well, I was only trying to play a little trick on you, Master Lin. To see if you might be startled by me instead.”

“Then, Xiao, what do you think of me? Am I a courageous partner, or a useless coward?” Lin Mao parted the weeds and walked forward leisurely.

Xiao Fourth was mortified at first, but quickly regained his composure and followed as if nothing had happened. “Naturally the former. The fact that we are both here should speak for itself, shouldn’t it?”

“Indeed. In that case, let us wish for a pleasant cooperation ahead.”

“Of course.”

“We’ve arrived. Just ahead.” Lin Mao halted, gazing up at the great hall before them.

Time had worn away the plaque hanging above the entrance until the inscription was no longer legible. The once-towering halls had mostly collapsed, their ruins scattered about. The columns inside leaned at odd angles, little more than remnants, with only a single Buddha statue remaining intact.

“Master Lin, do you recognize which Buddha this is?” Xiao Fourth stepped up beside him.

Xian Ge Yue, lying leisurely outside the medicine hut, seemed lost in reverie beneath the moon and stars.

Xiao Fourth asked, “Surely you jest, Xiao. I am no Buddhist. How could I know? But—”

“But what? Did I summon you here to exchange idle chatter?” A crisp voice interrupted Lin Mao before he could finish.

“We wouldn’t dare,” Xiao Fourth said quickly.

“Nor would I,” Lin Mao echoed.

“Speak, then. How have you carried out your tasks?” The Second Palace Mistress spun lightly, landing atop the Buddha’s palm, propping her head upon it as she reclined drunkenly.

Xiao Fourth glanced at Lin Mao, then stepped forward to answer. “Reporting to my lady, according to your instructions, we have successfully driven Bai Li Suhe back to the Xiao Tong Waters. However, however—”

“However, you were incompetent, and even with so many people, could not stop a few half-dead men. Is that it?”

“N-no, that’s not it.” Xiao Fourth fell to his knees in panic.

“Then what? Bai Li Suhe was already injured by the Grand Palace Mistress. Yet still, you could not keep him. What excuse can you offer?” The Second Palace Mistress sat up abruptly, her left hand resting on her knee, her eyes cold and menacing.

“It was—someone intervened in secret and spirited the three away. Master Lin can attest to this,” Xiao Fourth stammered, sweat beading on his brow as he looked to Lin Mao, as if grasping at a lifeline.

His anxious heart finally found an anchor.

The Second Palace Mistress turned her gaze to Lin Mao. She knew this was the one the Demon Prince wanted. She didn’t think much of him, but still showed a measure of courtesy. “Is this true, Master Lin?”

“It is.”

“Oh? Do you know who the other party was?” To snatch someone away under so many eyes, the one responsible must have had considerable cultivation. But who among the powerful could it be? One of the Three Houses, the Five Isles, the Seven Sects, the Demon Realm—or…?

“I do not know. The culprit used a white ring to whisk them away out of thin air,” Lin Mao replied.

“A white ring? A white ring…” The Second Palace Mistress mused for a moment. “Let us set that aside for now. Xiao Fourth, return and continue to stir up the crowd. As soon as Bai Li Suhe appears, use vengeance for Shuxing Tower as your excuse—hassle him to death. If you can kill him, do so. If not, ruin his name.”

“Yes.” Xiao Fourth, granted pardon, shot Lin Mao a grateful glance, then bowed his head and hurried away. Any longer, and he truly feared he would become the second mistress’s next meal.

“Lin Mao.”

“Here.”

“The Demon Prince has sent a letter for you.” She produced an envelope and tossed it to Lin Mao.

“Thank you.”

“I won’t ask what’s written inside. But hear this: the Demon Prince’s affairs are affairs of the utmost gravity. No one and nothing may become an obstacle to him. Do you understand?”

“Thank you for the reminder, Second Palace Mistress,” Lin Mao replied, putting away the letter and bowing.

“You’re a clever man. All who serve the Demon Prince loyally shall not be neglected by me. Come, let me give you a hug.” Suddenly, the Second Mistress flashed a seductive smile, making Lin Mao retreat in fright.

He turned his face away, not daring to meet her gaze, and cupped his fists. “I have other matters to attend to. Forgive me.” Without waiting for her reply, he vanished like a wisp of smoke through the door.

“Tsk. Men—none of them any good. Here I am, a beauty through and through, and he won’t even spare me a glance before running off. Eyes for nothing, truly unappreciative.”

“Why take offense at him? How did the task go?” The Grand Palace Mistress stepped from the void.

“Sister, you’re here? Surely you know my tongue by now, always teasing for fun. So, does the Demon Prince have any other instructions? Perhaps some praise…?”

“My question remains,” the Grand Mistress said, standing in the air, ignoring the jest.

The Second Mistress rose and wound herself around her elder sister, nearly clinging to her, a delicate hand curling a lock of blue-black hair, twisting it slowly. Her breath was soft at the Grand Mistress’s ear. “That? It failed.”

“Why?”

“Someone tricky intervened and saved them.”

“Who?”

“Qing Feng of Leaf Valley. Lin Mao said Bai Li Suhe and the other two were whisked away by a sudden white ring. In all Yu Hai Heaven, who doesn’t know that the Jade Zephyr’s treasure is a white ring?”

“Him?” The Grand Mistress mused. If Jade Zephyr had intervened, things were indeed complicated. The man was renowned throughout Yu Hai Heaven, widely befriended and respected. Nearly everyone owed him some favor, regardless of their path. Of those in the world not to be crossed, Jade Zephyr was surely among them.

But why would he help Bai Li Suhe? From what she knew, gain was not in his nature.

She asked, “Have you found out why Jade Zephyr was in Xiao Tong Waters?”

The Second Mistress let go of the blue-black hair and straightened her robe. “Not yet—I’d just heard the news when you arrived. Should I go now?”

“Go. Tell Xiao Fourth not to act rashly, but to gather people quietly in the shadows. Do not provoke Weiye Valley—let him wait for the right moment.”

“But… what if Bai Li Suhe stays holed up inside and never comes out? Are we to just keep waiting?”

The Grand Mistress turned, lifting the Second Mistress’s chin gently. “Jade Zephyr cannot keep Bai Li Suhe forever, and Bai Li Suhe… will not stay hidden forever.”

The Second Mistress winced in pain, but forced a smile. “Why is that?”

“Think: why did Bai Li Suhe go to Shuxing Tower? On his return, his first move was not to seek revenge against the Bai Li family, but to head for Xiao Tong Waters, then to Invite-the-Moon Peak. Don’t you see the meaning in that, sister?”

“Is it… for Yu Qingchen?” the Second Mistress ventured.

“Superficial. If Bai Li Suhe was so simple, would we have to plot against him at every turn?” The Grand Mistress shoved her away, cheeks flushed with anger.

“What? I only heard that Yu Qingchen was a rare beauty.”

“I see my sister is a first-rate beauty as well. Did you succeed last time?” the Grand Mistress mocked.

“…!”

Was this Flower’s Shadow determined to make things difficult for her? Always picking at her sore spots, rubbing salt into the wound.

“If even you failed, how could Bai Li Suhe, just returned, so quickly learn of Shuxing Tower’s marriage contest?”

“Perhaps Jade Zephyr told him. If Jade Zephyr could save him once, why not a second time? For all we know, the two have long been acquainted,” the Second Mistress muttered, rubbing her chin. Ouch, that still hurt…

“Hmm, not impossible. But there’s one thing you’ve missed.”

“What?”

“When Bai Li Suhe reached Shuxing Tower, we already knew the tower had been destroyed. Even Yu Qingchen was among the dead. So why did he insist on taking Yu Qingchen’s corpse?”

“You mean there’s something wrong with it?” The Second Mistress frowned sharply. If so, what was Bai Li Suhe after? Risking himself and others for a dead body—how could that be worth it?

The Grand Mistress nodded, stepping down from the void and walking out toward the path Xiao Fourth had taken. “I suspect there’s something in Shuxing Tower he wants. Or rather, Yu Qingchen knows the whereabouts of this thing.”

“Do you know what it is, sister? Should we get to it first—destroy it, or use it to lure him out? Either way, we mean to get rid of him.”

“Heh. Easier said than done. If I knew, it wouldn’t be so troublesome.” Even now, she couldn’t fathom why Shuxing Tower bore the aura of Bai Li Suhe’s sword. For that reason, she’d asked the Demon Prince today, but even he was at a loss. He, too, wished to kill Bai Li Suhe, if only for an old grudge—lest one day the man should choke him to death.

“Do you think the Bai Li family might be involved?”

The Grand Mistress paused, looking back at her sister. “What makes you say that?”

The Second Mistress scratched her head. “Bai Li Wushuang is dead, and surely that grudge is pinned on Bai Li Suhe. According to Siyou’s reports, Di Shui Ling loves her son dearly. Perhaps she couldn’t wait for Yu Hai Heaven’s outcome and meddled behind the scenes?”

“Then why Shuxing Tower?”

“Maybe they learned Bai Li Suhe was going to Invite-the-Moon Peak, so they got there first, laying an ambush. When he arrived, they’d finish him off. But later, they changed the plan—framed him instead.”

“That doesn’t add up. What if Bai Li Suhe was after Bai Li Wushuang? Wouldn’t Di Shui Ling be harming her own son?”

The Second Mistress shook her head, flicking her shawl. “Otherwise, how do you explain the evidence left on the corpse? But as kin, they might have means we can’t imagine.”

After all, they’re in Siyou. Who’s to say what tricks they might have? Bai Li Suhe returned from death—who’s to say what else they can do?

The Grand Mistress fell into deep thought at her words.