Men were something Xin Mei had seen and interacted with over her sixteen years, but she had never tried to understand them. Military strategy books said: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." If she wanted to secure a man and make him willingly become her husband, the first step was to understand how men viewed women.
Xin Mei grabbed a stack of paper and a brush pen, then went to find her eldest martial brother.
The eldest martial brother was brushing the mane of a spirit horse in the stable. Upon hearing her question, he blushed and pondered for a long time before whispering, "Beautiful, generous, always putting me at the center of everything—in her eyes, I must forever be the most handsome man in the world. That’s the kind of woman I like."
Xin Mei diligently noted this down and turned to leave, but after a moment’s thought, she couldn’t resist kindly advising him, "Eldest brother, only a woman with bad eyesight would consider you the most handsome man. Maybe you should adjust your standards?"
The iron brush in his hand slipped and landed heavily on his foot.
Next, she sought out her second martial brother, who was practicing swordplay in the backyard, his fair and handsome face glistening with sweat.
When Xin Mei asked him what kind of woman he liked, he frowned in rare contemplation before answering, "Obedient, gentle, and innocent—ignorant of the world. If I say something is, then it is, even if it isn’t. If I say it isn’t, then it isn’t, even if it is."
Xin Mei was stunned. "You... you like idiots?"
The second martial brother fainted from heatstroke.
Both her martial brothers' answers left her baffled. Considering the young men in the Sinister Clan—either unmarried or notorious womanizers—their responses were hardly useful references. Clearly, she needed to consult someone with more experience.
After dinner, she knocked respectfully on Xin Xiong’s door, leading to the following exchange.
"Father, as someone who’s been through it, what kind of woman do you think is most appealing?"
"Oh heavens! Ancestors bless us! Heaven bless us! Child’s mother, can you see this from above?! Xiao Mei, she—she actually asked me about men! She’s finally awakened!"
"Your ability to speak while mentally drifting off is getting stronger, Father."
"Come, come, Xiao Mei, let me tell you—the most perfect woman in the world was your mother. She... (here followed 1,839 words of excessive praise). She was a celestial maiden who descended to the mortal realm!"
"No, actually, I just wanted to ask—"
"Ah, it’s late. You should go rest early. I need to go talk to your mother’s memorial tablet..."
Xin Xiong shut the door with tears streaming down his face, leaving Xin Mei to slink back to her room in defeat.
The next day, she packed a small bundle and rode Qiu Yue across the dense forest, heading toward the Imperial Mausoleum she hadn’t visited in days. She suddenly remembered the perfect person to ask for advice on this matter—Zhao Guanren. He had written so many sentimental operatic scripts; surely he had profound insights into relationships between men and women. Asking him would be foolproof.
In the Imperial Mausoleum, the demons were unusually subdued because Lu Qianqiao’s injuries had yet to fully heal. The May sun was already scorching, and the little demons were all napping in the shade, leaving the surroundings eerily quiet.
Without disturbing anyone, Xin Mei floated silently to Zhao Guanren’s dwelling—a modest cave entrance.
Zhao Guanren was a rat demon, and even after gaining sentience, he never abandoned his burrowing habits. He could never get used to living in houses with carved beams and latticed windows, preferring instead to nest in caves.She pushed aside the large leaves covering the cave entrance and crouched to slip inside, calling softly, "Zhao Guanren, Zhao Guanren... are you there?"
No answer came, only the faint sound of sobbing from within the cave. Xin Mei had no choice but to proceed further inside until she reached the end, where she found Zhao Guanren with a white cloth tied around his head, hunched over a desk and feverishly writing. As he wrote, he recited lines from the operatic scripts in a mix of classical and vernacular Chinese: "...My heart is shattered to dust! Gone with the wind! Gone with the falling petals! Gone with the flowing water!"
At the most emotional parts, he would throw down his brush and bury his face in his hands, weeping loudly, using the white cloth on his head to wipe his nose.
Xin Mei felt a bit awkward interrupting such an intense creative process and turned to leave, but Zhao Guanren had already noticed her presence. He quickly waved her over, saying, "Miss Xin, I've just written a new scene. Come take a look and tell me what you think."
Her mind preoccupied with other matters, Xin Mei had little interest in reviewing operatic scripts. After skimming a few pages, she set them aside, cleared her throat, and asked earnestly, "Zhao Guanren, tell me—what kind of woman do men generally like?"
Zhao Guanren stroked his thin beard, observing her expression carefully. He had already grasped the situation and couldn't help but grin. "Miss Xin, that's a rather foolish question. How many men are there in this world? Do you think every man likes the same type of woman?"
Xin Mei pondered for a moment and rephrased her question: "Then—what kind of woman would make Lu Qianqiao utterly infatuated, eager to marry her immediately?"
Zhao Guanren shook his head repeatedly. "No, no, such a woman doesn't exist. Miss Xin, come here, let me explain. Between men and women, the first step is to understand each other—starting with personalities, interests, and such..."
He went on and on all afternoon, and Xin Mei listened attentively, occasionally jotting down notes until she had filled a thick stack of paper. As dusk fell and Zhao Guanren's throat grew hoarse, he finally concluded, "In short, take it step by step. You and the General are already a perfect match as shown by the Mirror of United Hearts. Marriage is just a matter of time. Right now, the most important thing is to clarify the General's still uncertain feelings."
Oh! Xin Mei's eyes sparkled with realization—coming to ask Zhao Guanren had been the right decision!
She borrowed the Mirror of United Hearts from Zhao Guanren, wrapped it in cloth, and tied it securely to her back. Taking a winding path and keeping to the shadows, she finally arrived in front of Lu Qianqiao's quarters. The moon-shaped window was not fully closed, leaving a narrow gap. Xin Mei stealthily peeked through the opening and saw Lu Qianqiao reclining on his bed, eating while draped in his outer robe. His complexion had improved significantly compared to a few days ago, and the wounds beneath his bandages no longer seeped blood. The recovery ability of a War Ghost was truly astonishing—it seemed he would fully recover in just a few more days.
As she watched intently, Lu Qianqiao suddenly set down his chopsticks and turned his head. His gaze pierced through the gap, locking directly onto her eyes.
"Who's there? Show yourself."
His voice was icy and sharp, laden with killing intent.
After a moment's hesitation, Xin Mei stood up and pulled open the window. She stepped onto the moon-shaped window frame, leaning against the lattice as she waved at his stunned expression. "Lu Qianqiao, I came to see you."
He stared blankly for a long while before finally giving a faint nod and saying, "Come in. Don't hide outside the window next time."
Huh? Why wasn't he reacting the way Zhao Guanren had described—overwhelmed with excitement at the sight of her, sighing at the moon, lamenting in the wind, perhaps even shedding a few tears of emotion?
Xin Mei slipped nimbly through the window and closed it behind her. After a brief hesitation, she walked over and sat down by the bed.
"Lu Qianqiao, aren't you happy to see me?" she asked, a hint of worry in her voice.He picked up his chopsticks and continued eating, speaking only after a long pause—yet not answering her question: "It's dark out. Why did you come here?"
She grew even more concerned, leaning in to study his face closely. "Are you really upset?"
His face finally began to flush, and he set down his chopsticks helplessly. "Stop fooling around. Eat."
She laughed. "You're clearly happy. That poker face of yours really needs fixing."
Lu Qianqiao suppressed his surging emotions with effort, pulling out another clean pair of chopsticks to hand to her. "Be good. Come eat."
How could she possibly focus on eating? She yanked the Mirror of United Hearts off her back and pressed her face close to his. The mirror's surface rippled with a fleeting glow, capturing their figures in a tender embrace within its reflection.
"Ah, it showed up again." Xin Mei herself seemed surprised. "Lu Qianqiao, look! Both of us can appear in the Mirror of United Hearts."
Now thoroughly distracted from his meal, he had no choice but to set down his bowl. His ears burned, though he tried to sound nonchalant. "...What exactly did you come here for?"
Reluctantly, Xin Mei put the mirror away and thought seriously for a moment. Zhao Guanren had advised her to first understand how the general saw her. So she cleared her throat and asked, "Lu Qianqiao, what do you... um, what do you think of me?"
Lu Qianqiao propped his chin on his hand, reclining against the bed as he watched her. His expression held both resignation and restraint, his dark, bright eyes hidden beneath thick lashes. Yet she couldn’t decipher whether there was any so-called affection in them—no one had ever looked at her like this before.
"What do you mean?" His voice grew quieter.
"I mean—what kind of person do you think I am?"
He tilted his head slightly, considering. "...Like someone who lives in a book."
Every move she made seemed to belong to a different world, whimsical and unrestrained. She lived by her own rules in a universe of her own, carefree and uninhibited.
He said she was like someone from a book? Was she the "fair maiden within the pages" from the saying, or perhaps the kind of peerless beauty only found in stories?
Xin Mei was delighted. She grabbed his hand and shook it excitedly. "You—you have such good taste!"
Not exactly, but... I don’t think that was meant as a compliment just now...
Lu Qianqiao stared in astonishment as she slung the Mirror of United Hearts onto her back again, flung open the window, and leaped out, tossing back only one sentence: "I’ll come see you again tomorrow!"
What... exactly had she come here for tonight?
Utterly baffled, Lu Qianqiao sat in silence for a while before finally picking up his chopsticks to resume his meal.
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