The Elegant Jade Peony Pavilion.
"Mmmpf! Mmmpf! Mmmpf!"
In the fifth room of the Peony Pavilion, a man lay bound tightly on a brocade couch, his mouth sealed with mulberry paper, yet still cursing incessantly. Another person stood coldly nearby, sipping tea in silence. A young maidservant in red stood to the side, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh. "What is he saying?" The tea-drinker replied indifferently, "Nothing but nonsense like 'release your father' or the like." The red-clad maidservant giggled, eyeing the man on the bed. "I heard he exchanged hundreds of moves with the Revered Master—a formidable enemy. They also say he's Sister Bai's fiancé."
"The Revered Master is a hundred times better than him." The one drinking tea wore plain white robes, a saber at her waist—it was Bai Suche. "He's just a fool." The red-clad maidservant added, "Sister Hong told you to keep an eye on him. If he escapes, she’ll surely make trouble for you." Bai Suche replied coolly, "Which is why—I won’t let him run."
Chi Yun, lying on the bed, suddenly fell silent, his eyes wide and cold as he stared fixedly at the ceiling, motionless. The red-clad maidservant brought over a bowl of bird's nest soup before retreating slowly.
Bai Suche rested a hand on her saber and walked slowly to the bedside, looking down at Chi Yun—his martial arts sealed, his body tightly bound. Chi Yun shot her a cold glance before closing his eyes and mouth, treating her as nothing more than a stone.
This man… when they first met, he had been arrogant and unrestrained, wielding his blade with the momentum to hold back an army. But even at the peak of his glory, she had never loved him. Bai Suche stared unblinkingly at Chi Yun. What she wanted was a man stronger than herself, one who could guide her forward. The pity was that she herself was already too strong.
Chi Yun… was a child with exceptional martial arts. She… had no patience to wait for a child to grow into a true powerhouse.
She lightly brushed the mulberry paper covering Chi Yun’s mouth before straightening up, her gaze fixed out the window, lost in thought.
Even through the paper, her fingers could still feel a trace of warmth. Chi Yun kept his eyes shut. Just what kind of woman was Bai Suche? He had never truly understood her, and his past impressions were vague—just Bai Yuming’s daughter, nothing more. Shouldn’t Bai Yuming’s daughter be a delicate young lady with weak martial arts and nothing but beauty, or perhaps a prim and proper noblewoman? Why was she instead a woman who betrayed her home without a second thought, a high-ranking figure in a heretical sect commanding armies? How could his, Chi Yun’s, wife be like this? But… if not for this wicked woman’s scheming heart and indiscriminate killings, this version of her was still far better than some pampered young lady or sheltered noblewoman. The real shame was why she had to join the Dissolute Shop…
Suddenly, he opened his eyes. Bai Suche wasn’t staring at him as he had imagined, and dissatisfaction surged in his heart. Just what was she thinking about?
"If you could guess what’s on my mind, perhaps—I might marry you." Bai Suche’s gaze remained distant as she spoke coldly. "A pity—you’ll never guess." She could practically count every thought running through Chi Yun’s head.
With a sudden "pah," Chi Yun mustered his strength and spat out the mulberry paper covering his mouth, coughing hoarsely. "Cough… Do you really think I’m that simple?" Bai Suche slowly turned her head, her cold eyes locking onto him on the bed. "What do you think?""I think—even if I'm as simple as a cabbage, I'm still a hundred times better than an ungrateful, shameless woman," Chi Yun said coldly. "You're a complete scumbag!" Bai Suche raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face with a sharp "smack!" Chi Yun glared at her furiously. "Damn bitch! Son of a bitch!" Bai Suche lifted her hand again. "For every word you say, I'll slap you once. How many slaps you get depends on how much your mouth runs." Chi Yun cursed loudly, "Damn it all! When have you ever heard of Chi Yun being threatened? Damn bitch!" Bai Suche's face remained expressionless as another heavy slap landed on Chi Yun's cheek, leaving a bruise in its wake.
Just as Chi Yun thought the damn woman was about to strike him dead with another blow, Bai Suche suddenly stopped. A soft "click" sounded from outside the door, and a woman in green robes entered slowly. "Su Su, what are you doing?" Bai Suche replied indifferently, "Nothing." The green-robed woman moved gracefully, and Chi Yun, struggling to open his swollen eyes, saw that her skin was snow-white, her features delicate and familiar. After a long moment, he gasped—he remembered who she was! This woman in green was the courtesan who had caused Bing Chuanhou to abandon his wife and child. After Bing Chuanhou's death, she had been taken by the Black-Clothed Lute Player. Her name was A Shui.
She was Feng Feng's mother...
Under the candlelight, the approaching green-robed woman's face remained composed. Compared to Hong Guniang's sorrowful beauty, Bai Suche's ethereal grace, or Zhong Chunji's delicate charm, she paled in comparison. Yet she carried an air of tranquility that soothed those who looked upon her—this was A Shui. Chi Yun glanced at her and turned away. Though her features were merely delicate, there was an innate elegance about her. Best not to look too long.
"If he's already been sealed at the acupoints, why bind him as well?" A Shui approached the bedside, her brows slightly furrowed. "Did he tie him up?" Bai Suche replied coolly, "Yes." A Shui began untying the ropes. "If he asks, tell him I undid it." Bai Suche took a sip of the bird's nest soup she held. "You've always been bold. Don't think the Revered Master's indulgence will last forever. One day..." A Shui smiled faintly. "Are you warning me?" Bai Suche turned her head away, her voice icy. "Not a warning—just a reminder. Relying on the Revered Master's favor and acting so recklessly—sooner or later, no one will be able to protect you. You'll be torn to pieces by those women obsessed with him." A Shui chuckled softly. "I'm an ill-omened woman. Being torn apart might be a blessing for everyone. By the way, I came to tell you—Young Master Tang is coming to the banquet tonight. Fu Cui said... she wants you to arrange the ambush and kill him." Bai Suche set the bowl down on the table. "Oh? So besides Xiao Hong, Dong Princess also wants to test me—to see if I'm the traitor from the defeat at Green Peak Cliff?" A Shui's eyes flickered. "Perhaps..." Bai Suche's voice turned cold. "Do you also want to test if I'm the traitor?" A Shui smiled. "Maybe in their eyes, I'm the most likely suspect—they just don't dare say it." "That's true. You were never one of us to begin with," Bai Suche said indifferently. "You'd better go back to the Revered Master's room and sweep the floor. Otherwise, if he returns and finds you missing, he'll throw another tantrum." A Shui nodded, glanced at Chi Yun, and left with slow steps.Chi Yun listened as she left, then suddenly spat on the ground with a "pah." "If Bai Yuming heard what you said, he'd probably drop dead from rage on the spot! Kill Tang Lici? Dream on, you bitch!" Bai Suche's expression remained unchanged as she replied coldly, "My mother was virtuous and kind, nothing like me. You can curse me all you want, but why insult my mother?" Chi Yun was left speechless, uncharacteristically unable to retort after being rebuked. Bai Suche drew the Severing Discipline Blade, its edge glinting coldly. "Why can't I kill Tang Lici? Murder doesn't always rely on martial prowess. Just like how I could kill you..." She pressed the blade lightly against Chi Yun's neck, drawing a thin line of blood. "That would be all too easy."
Chi Yun stared at her coldly, as if looking at a madwoman.
At that moment, there came a soft "creak" from outside the door as someone entered the room. Though the person had walked in, Chi Yun heard no footsteps—it was as if only his eyes registered the arrival while his ears detected nothing beyond the sound of the door opening.
Bai Suche turned to look at the newcomer. The woman wore pink robes delicately embroidered with peach blossoms, the design elegant and exquisitely crafted. Her white embroidered shoes were adorned with pearls, and her tall, slender figure belonged to a stunningly beautiful young woman. Bai Suche spoke indifferently, "Princess of the West."
The peach-robed woman in pink gave a slight nod. "Tang Lici will surely come to rescue him tonight. What are your plans?" Bai Suche raised the Severing Discipline Blade in her hand, its bloodstained edge now glowing an eerie green. "I've laced him with Azure Spring Water. The moment Tang Lici touches him, he'll be poisoned. Then I'll have eighteen white-clad assassins ambush him. Once he fights his way out, I'll pretend to save him... before delivering the final blow." The peach-robed woman neither agreed nor disagreed, her bright eyes flickering. "I heard Xiao Hong tried the String Plucking Soul Snatching technique on him but failed?" Bai Suche replied, "Who knows if she truly gave it her all? Though some people are naturally tone-deaf—there's nothing to be done about that." The peach-robed woman took the Severing Discipline Blade from her hand and examined it briefly before suddenly saying, "For tonight's plan, you need not act." Her tone was gentle, almost tender. "I'll handle it." Bai Suche glanced at her, then retrieved the blade and bowed slightly. "As the princess commands." The peach-robed woman clasped her hands behind her back and left. From the moment she entered to the moment she departed, she hadn't so much as glanced at Chi Yun."Who is this person?" Chi Yun had been staring intently for a long time and couldn't help asking, "Is this person a man or a woman?" Bai Suche gave him a strange look, "What about them resembles a man?" Chi Yun said, "They look exactly like 'One Peach Three Colors' from the 'Seven Cloud Traveling Guests.' I fought with that guy once, so of course I recognize them." Bai Suche asked curiously, "You're saying they're One Peach Three Colors?" Chi Yun widened his eyes, "The One Peach Three Colors I know is a man, but this is a woman—maybe they're twins." Bai Suche's expression gradually darkened, murmuring, "She... is called Xifang Tao. The Dissolute Shop has two princesses—the Dong Princess Fu Cui, and the Xi Princess is this one... So she... she is One Peach Three Colors... But..." She seemed to suddenly have countless questions but no answers. Her gaze shifted several times before she slowly said, "You must never speak of this to anyone." As she spoke, her fingers moved like the wind, sealing Chi Yun's mute acupoint again.
In the main hall of the Xiuyu Peony Pavilion, where tea was being served, two women sat that night—one in white with a plain bun, the other in green adorned with pearls. The woman in white was elegant as a fairy, while the one in green was plump as a pear, their stark contrast drawing many sidelong glances and hushed whispers from the other patrons.
They were waiting for Tang Lici, but unexpectedly, even as the last guest left the Xiuyu Peony Pavilion and the moon passed its zenith, Tang Lici never arrived.
Hong Guniang gazed thoughtfully at the long-cold tea on the table, while Fu Cui had already reduced the roasted suckling pig before her to a pile of bones. Picking her teeth with a thin bone, she chuckled coldly, "Could it be that we both miscalculated? Perhaps Chi Yun isn't much of bait to him after all?" Hong Guniang lightly pursed her lips, "Or—perhaps it's too obvious as bait, so he didn't dare come? But given Tang Lici's confidence, he wouldn't..." She cut herself off mid-sentence, suddenly startled, "No, he must have already come!" Fu Cui hummed, "How so?" Hong Guniang stood up, "We’ve been careless. Hurry upstairs and see if anything’s amiss..."
Before Fu Cui could respond, someone rushed down from upstairs, "Hong Guniang! No one broke into the Xiuyu Peony Pavilion tonight, but... but A Shui is missing. A letter was left on the Revered Master's desk..." Fu Cui reached out—clearly still two zhang away—yet the person suddenly saw a blur, and the letter vanished from their hand. Fu Cui unfolded the note. The paper was of the finest snow-white xuan, but the handwriting was mediocre—the strokes were upright, but the ink flow and brushwork were slightly lacking. It was unmistakably Tang Lici's writing. The letter read:
*"Under the clear breeze and bright moon, where lotus dew falls,
Beneath the hibiscus pool, a beauty once met.
As the warm sun rises, by the red pavilion ten li away,
Beneath the longing tree, one for another we’ll set."*
Beneath it was a single character— Tang —written with effortless grace."I calculated everything, expecting him to come to the meeting, but never imagined he would secretly send a letter to lure A Shui away." Hong Guniang gritted her teeth. "How did he know that girl was... was..." She turned her head away, unwilling to continue. Liu Yan was extraordinarily beautiful, exuding a darkly seductive charm. His actions were erratic—sometimes gentle and considerate, sometimes cold and indifferent, sometimes bold and unrestrained, sometimes melancholic and profound—enough to bewitch countless inexperienced young women. Especially since Liu Yan was a man of literary grace, playing the qin to recite poetry and composing songs from verses, he could enchant anyone. Despite Hong Guniang's cunning intellect and vast knowledge, she was utterly infatuated with him. Yet, for no apparent reason, Liu Yan had become obsessed with a woman who was not only plain but also utterly unremarkable—a mere concubine of another man, of the lowest status. How could this not fill her with deep resentment? Fu Cui laughed heartily. "How did he know that girl was Little Liu's beloved? I think Tang Lici is just another playboy—perhaps with enough experience to recognize Liu Yan and A Shui's relationship at a glance, hahaha!" Hong Guniang's face paled as she clenched her teeth silently. Fu Cui clicked her tongue mockingly. "Poor girl, even though she's clearly your rival, for Liu Yan's sake, you still have to find a way to bring her back. In truth, you wish her dead—how pitiful, truly pitiful." Hong Guniang whispered, "You've never... never..." Fu Cui roared with laughter. "I've never been infatuated with some handsome man, so I don’t understand how you feel? Even when I liked women, I took them by force—if they refused, I killed them. Quick and clean, none of this tedious nonsense!" Hong Guniang bit her lip and avoided answering, her expression growing even more somber.
"Speaking of which, where has that Western Beauty gone?" Fu Cui propped a plump foot on a chair, clearly enjoying Hong Guniang's distress. "With such a huge blunder upstairs, how could she not have noticed? Haha." At the staircase, Bai Suche descended slowly and said calmly, "A Shui is missing, and so is Princess Xi. I suspect she saw A Shui leave alone and grew suspicious, so she followed."
"That means—perhaps we haven’t lost completely yet." Fu Cui grinned even wider, resembling a fat pig that had stolen pork. "There might still be a chance to turn the tables." Hong Guniang frowned slightly, seemingly unconvinced about Xifang Tao's pursuit.
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