Volume One, Chapter 3: A Crushing Victory in This Battle
Two days had passed since Qin Xianxian had made her bold declaration beneath the city tower, and all the while the system had remained utterly silent.
Fortunately, now that she had fallen into a novel, even she was entitled to days off. No need to toil every day like some overworked beast of burden.
On the busiest street in the capital, crowds surged and swelled, lively and boisterous. Stalls lined both sides of the road, and the merchants’ cries filled this fictional world with the warmth and bustle of everyday life.
Qin Xianxian was no longer wrapped in her former gloom. She wore a simple apricot-yellow skirt, and the beads on her hairpin swayed as she moved, her face bright with delight.
“Lüqi, what is this?”
“This is a local specialty from the capital, lotus blossom cake.”
“And this?”
“This is a sachet women use to pray for blessings.”
She asked on and on, and Lüqi answered patiently without a trace of annoyance.
Standing before the stalls, Qin Xianxian was thoroughly delighted.
“Xianxian, what are you doing here?”
What was that?
Qin Xianxian turned woodenly toward the voice, and there before her stood Fu Yuheng, the very man she had publicly refused two days earlier beneath the city tower.
Why, without any main quest at all, had she still run into him? Could this really be the fated bond of the hero and heroine?
“I-I just came out for a stroll,” Qin Xianxian muttered, her eyes darting about as she racked her brain for an excuse to leave at once.
“Xianxian, would you like to sit for a while in the teahouse?”
“No, no, I’m planning to head back now.” Qin Xianxian gave an awkward wave and started to go.
“Today the Dingfeng Teahouse has your favorite storyteller reciting tales. Surely you won’t pass that up?” Fu Yuheng could see she was trying to avoid him, and hurriedly tried to keep her there.
Ordinarily, Qin Xianxian’s only interests were reading and listening to stories. Hearing that, she did feel a little tempted.
“Then—I suppose I’ll go take a look.”
In the center of the Dingfeng Teahouse stood a small raised stage. A thin middle-aged man in a gray long robe held a folding fan in his hand as he told his tale. The guests around him sat in silence, and only now and then did a cheer rise here and there.
“Picking up where we left off, the man arrived at the Mysterious Opportunity Pavilion and at last met the enigmatic master said to know all things under heaven—the Black-Robed Young Lord. He wore a black-and-gold serpent-patterned robe and a mask of black flesh with bared fangs. He looked so cold and sinister, as though some ghostly deity had appeared among the living...”
At this, Qin Xianxian frowned. The Mysterious Opportunity Pavilion? The Black-Robed Young Lord?
It sounded familiar. The book had mentioned that this pavilion knew everything and missed nothing; neither black nor white, it was a singular existence in the martial world. So long as you could meet their terms, even murder and arson could be carried out by them without a sound.
Yet who the hidden figure behind the founding of the pavilion truly was had never been revealed, not even by the story’s ending.
Fu Yuheng, seeing that she seemed distracted, asked with concern, “Xianxian, is the story not to your liking today?”
Hearing this, Qin Xianxian lifted her eyes and looked at the man before her.
He had swordlike brows and bright eyes, a high bridge of the nose, and the corners of his lips always carried the faintest upward curve. Refined and radiant, he was the very image of a noble gentleman.
He was certainly easy on the eyes. So why, of all things, was he not the type she liked?
She beat her chest in sorrow. What a pity, what a pity!
Qin Xianxian picked up the teacup from the table with both hands, her gaze wandering as she tried to hide her own guilt. “It’s good, it’s good!”
She took a small sip of tea.
“Xianxian, would you like to go to the chess room later and play a round? I remember your skill at chess was excellent when you were young. I lost to you often.” Fu Yuheng looked at her with the same tender, affectionate gaze as always.
Chess? She only knew flying chess and checkers...
Qin Xianxian gave an awkward smile. “That was when I was a child. I haven’t played chess in a very long time now. My skill has gone rusty.”
“Then the music room? I remember you began learning the zither when you were still small.”
Sweat was almost about to bead on Qin Xianxian’s forehead. Her smile grew even more strained.
“Let’s not.”
Could he please spare her? Aside from eating, drinking, and amusing herself, she really knew nothing at all.
“Then perhaps we could go and paint—”
“Why don’t I tell you a story instead!”
Forced into it, Qin Xianxian interrupted him. He was pressing so relentlessly that, if she did not reveal a little of her own abilities, she feared she would not be able to smooth this over. Then she would tell him a story—this, at least, she truly excelled at.
“That would be fine.” Fu Yuheng smiled and nodded.
He agreed so readily that Qin Xianxian’s mind suddenly went blank. “What would you like to hear?”
“Anything is fine. Tell me what you like.”
Qin Xianxian looked down, her thoughts racing. She needed something simple and easy to understand, something that would make him feel she was merely an ordinary person after all, not the flawless figure he imagined her to be...
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
“How about I tell you the story of the Ugly Duckling?”
“The Ugly Duckling?” Fu Yuheng frowned just as she had hoped.
“Yes, yes, the Ugly Duckling.” Qin Xianxian secretly smiled and then began slowly:
“Once upon a time, a mother duck laid a whole nestful of eggs. One day, the eggshells cracked...”
She told the story earnestly, and the man opposite listened just as earnestly, the corners of his mouth occasionally lifting in a faint smile.
“...Only then did it understand that it was not an ugly duckling at all, but a beautiful white swan.”
Qin Xianxian finished the story in one breath, then lifted her cup and drank some water. Looking up, she found the man staring at her without blinking, and in his eyes seemed to be something like—
Moved?
“Xianxian, are you trying to encourage me? To urge me to keep working hard so that one day I can pass the imperial examinations and achieve success, is that right?” His voice rose with excitement.
Qin Xianxian was speechless.
What in the world? Had this man been kicked in the head by a donkey?
Then her eyes lit up, and she suddenly remembered something.
Fu Yuheng was an illegitimate son in his family, and among his many brothers and sisters he had never received much attention. That was why he studied so desperately—to break free of the restraints of his household as early as possible and seize command of his own destiny.
She had missed her chance and, by accident, made this man love her even more. Help...
She should have told him The Little Match Girl just now, and let him go meet his late grandmother instead.
Qin Xianxian forced the corners of her mouth upward in an awkward smile, then took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and lowered her head to dab at the thin sheen of sweat on her forehead.
A lovestruck fool really was terrifying beyond words. If she slapped him across the face right now, he would probably think she was merely urging him onward...
“Xianxian, I will work hard. I won’t let you down.”
“...” Someone, save her!
Just as Qin Xianxian had her head down, looking thoroughly miserable, a hem of white-and-gold cloud-patterned silk suddenly appeared before her.
“My lady, we meet again.”
At the sound, Qin Xianxian looked up!
The person before her was warm and elegant as jade, with an air of unworldly refinement, yet he happened to have a pair of peach-blossom eyes that seemed to hold feeling and meaning no matter whom he looked at.
Why, wasn’t this the villainous side character Shen Qingli?
“Lord Shen, what a coincidence. You came to listen to the stories too?”
Whoever it was, if they could rescue her from this predicament, they were her savior.
“Yes. Coming alone is rather dull, after all.”
“Come, come, sit down quickly.” Qin Xianxian eagerly pulled out the stool beside her, very hospitably saying, “We’re listening too. Since fate has brought us together, let’s sit and enjoy it all.”
Shen Qingli smiled, then glanced at Fu Yuheng beside her.
“What Miss Qin says is right. Please, have a seat.” Fu Yuheng smiled.
That day this man had stood beside her, and he had been wondering just who he was.
“Then I shan’t be polite.” Shen Qingli did not decline; he sat down at once. “Two days ago, when I first met you beneath the city tower, I did not even have the chance to ask your name.”
No sooner had he spoken than Qin Xianxian caught sight of Fu Yuheng’s brow tightening beside her, his hand around the cup seeming to grip it more firmly.
Qin Xianxian secretly curved her lips in a mischievous smile. It seemed that today’s deadlock would have to be broken by this man before her.
Deliberately softening her voice, she said in a delicate, coy manner, “This humble girl’s family name is Qin, given name Xianxian, and I am second in the family order.”
“So you are Miss Qin Second.” Shen Qingli said this and then turned to look at Fu Yuheng. His expression had already frozen. “And this gentleman?”
“This is my good friend, Fu Yuheng.” Qin Xianxian emphasized the words “good friend” especially.
As hoped, she watched half of Fu Yuheng’s face darken.
“So this is Lord Fu. Two days ago, when I was viewing the posted examination results at the city tower, I saw that Lord Fu was the top scholar of this autumn’s provincial examinations. Your reputation precedes you. I am Shen Qingli.”
Fu Yuheng looked up at him upon hearing this and managed a strained smile. “So you are the young lord of Ding'an Marquis Manor. I have long admired you.”
After that, the two men chatted idly back and forth, while Qin Xianxian cheerfully played the mute beside them and ate her pastries in silence.
All she could hear was their conversation gradually drifting toward the four arts of the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
“Does Xianxian wish to go play chess, or would she rather play the zither?” Fu Yuheng asked with a smile, his voice lazy and gentle.
Qin Xianxian lifted her eyes, still with a bite of pastry unswallowed in her mouth.
Had she not already become invisible on her own? Why was he asking for her opinion again...
What was there to fuss over with four arts like these, especially for two grown men? Could they not have a little taste, a little boldness, a little imagination?
Qin Xianxian took a sip of tea and swallowed the pastry in her mouth.
“Why don’t you two go visit a brothel together? I think that would be much more fitting.” If she could go along too, she would be more than willing.
“...”
“Cough—”
Shen Qingli nearly choked to death on a mouthful of tea.
“What’s wrong? Was I mistaken? Men are all the same at heart! If you remain so pure and self-denying, how will you ever carry on the family line in the future...”
“...”
“...”
Only after seeing their faces turn red and white in turns did Qin Xianxian realize she had spoken far too boldly.
I’m sorry! I have failed as a teacher. The moment I get back, I’ll resign at once!
“It was a joke. Don’t take it to heart.” Qin Xianxian gave an embarrassed smile and lifted the teapot to pour tea for the two of them.
At the sight of the cups filled to the brim, both men frowned.
Qin Xianxian blinked.
Ah. She had forgotten: when tea is filled to the brim, it means the guests should leave.
She was sorry! She had not meant to be rude!
Qin Xianxian reached out, took their cups, and poured out half the tea.
“There! Drink up. We’re not bound by petty formalities—let’s keep talking!”
She made drinking tea sound as though they were about to enter a drinking contest.
Shen Qingli’s lips curved slightly. He smiled without a word and lifted his cup to take a sip.
Interesting. It had been worth the special trip.
Fu Yuheng sat rigidly on his stool, still digesting what she had just said.
Qin Xianxian sensed something was amiss and immediately brightened inwardly.
Oh? Had she stepped on the landmine of a proper gentleman? He must surely think her vulgar beyond endurance, nothing more than an uncouth commoner.
Excellent. Then she would go on being the meddlesome pest and stir this clear water until it turned muddy.
“The storyteller onstage isn’t as good as I am. You two wait here—I’m going to take the stage apart.”
Qin Xianxian took the handkerchief from her sleeve, covered half her face with it, and tied it back over her hair...
Then she rose with great force and strode up to “take apart the stage.”
One scandalous tale from The Golden Lotus was enough to silence the entire hall.
Shen Qingli’s originally startled expression gradually gave way to amusement, and he tried so hard to suppress his laughter that his face turned rosy with the effort.
Fu Yuheng’s face darkened again and again.
In the end, Qin Xianxian was “escorted” out by the teahouse attendants.
Standing at the teahouse entrance, she removed the handkerchief from her face.
A smile hung at the corners of her lips.
This battle had been a complete victory...
Though it seemed she had forgotten one person.
Lüqi stood behind the very seat Qin Xianxian had just occupied, so frightened she had nearly lost her soul.
This absolutely could not be her young lady. Absolutely not! Her young lady must have been possessed by some evil thing...