Whispers of Fate (Shui Long Yin)

Xiuyu Town.

Lotus Pond.

Tang Lici sat alone by the pond brimming with lotus blossoms, a cup of wine in hand, savoring the delicate drink as he gazed at the flowers and inhaled their fragrance, utterly content. The pristine white porcelain cup he held gleamed under the moonlight like polished jade, while the slender-waisted wine flask beside him, adorned with a faintly painted crane, exuded unparalleled elegance. These two items alone were rare treasures of the highest quality. Tang Lici had plucked a lotus seedpod from the pond, sipping wine while peeling lotus seeds, his cheeks faintly flushed with intoxication—a sight most pleasing to behold.

A figure approached slowly from afar. "Young Master Tang is in high spirits."

Tang Lici set out another white porcelain cup and smiled. "Please sit, Miss A Shui. I must apologize for the presumptuous invitation tonight, but I had no other choice."

A Shui smiled faintly. "Young Master Tang sent word that I would see my child tonight. Is he…?"

"He is not here at the moment. To be honest, I asked you to come tonight for another purpose." Tang Lici poured her a cup of wine. "This is 'Lotus Blossom Jade'—it won’t intoxicate you."

A Shui sat on the ground, the pond of lotuses around them ethereal in the night breeze. The faint, sweet aroma of wine drifted through the air, blurring the line between dream and reality. "I understand. Young Master Tang invited me here tonight for Chi Yun’s sake." She took a sip of the Lotus Blossom Jade—its taste was light and sweet, devoid of the usual sharpness of alcohol, carrying instead a hint of the lotus’s fragrant bitterness. "You wish to exchange me for him."

"Indeed." Tang Lici peeled a lotus seed and handed it to her. "So tonight, there is no child. I deceived you."

"Is he well?" A Shui asked softly. Though she had anticipated this outcome, a trace of disappointment lingered in her voice. "It has been so long since I last saw him. Does… does he still remember me?"

"It has been over five months since you entrusted him to me…" Tang Lici spoke gently. "He will soon begin to speak, but… I fear he may no longer remember you."

"He will surely be happier with Young Master Tang than with me." A Shui gazed at the pond, her delicate features tinged with the weariness of a life steeped in hardship. "And safer, too."

A flicker of something unreadable passed through Tang Lici’s eyes as he raised his cup and drained it in one go. His gaze, far more complex than A Shui’s exhaustion, was inscrutable as he stared at the pond. "What if…?"

"What if what?" A Shui murmured.

"What if one day, he were to die because of me?" Tang Lici asked slowly. "Would you… hate me?"

A Shui shook her head. "In this world, who can protect another forever? I will never forget the kindness of taking him in. I would not hate you. But if he were to die, I would have no reason to live either." Her voice was calm. "This unworthy body of mine clings to life only to see him grow up safe and carefree. Though I cannot raise him myself, I still hold onto hope that one day, fate may bring us together again. If he dies, I…" Her eyes remained fixed on the lotuses, serene. "There would be no meaning in living."

"As long as Tang Lici lives, your child will not die." He poured himself another cup and took a small sip. "Miss A Shui, you are pure of heart. Though fate has been unkind, forcing you into circumstances beyond your control, there are still those who see your worth. There are those who wish for you to live on, to smile, to find happiness.""Who?" A Shui smiled faintly. "Are you talking about Liu Yan?"

"No." Tang Lici picked up the small white porcelain cup she had set down after drinking, slowly pouring half a cup of Lotus Blossom Jade. A Shui watched him intently as he raised the cup to his lips, drinking from the same spot she had just touched. His rosy, vivid lips pressed against the snow-white jade-like porcelain, the hard, smooth rim accentuating their softness, filled with the fragrance of wine... He slowly sipped the liquor. "I meant myself."

A Shui didn't answer, still gazing at his wine-stained lips. After a long while, she whispered softly, "Thank you."

Tang Lici finished the wine but lightly bit the rim of the cup instead of setting it down. His face was exquisite, his teeth like strings of pearls, and this gentle bite...

The wind brushed past the lotus flowers, rustling the green leaves slightly. The two fell into silence.

After a long pause, a faint click sounded—Tang Lici had bitten off a small piece of the white porcelain. He held the shard between his teeth, revealing a light smile, a bead of blood seeping from where the porcelain had cut his lip, like a crimson dewdrop on a lotus.

It was like a white-furred fox lying in wait by a trap, licking its lips—elegant, languid, captivating, yet brimming with a sense of conspiracy. A Shui gasped. "What happened?"

Tang Lici gently held the porcelain shard in his mouth, slowly placing it back into the now-chipped cup. He wiped the blood from his lips with his sleeve. "Which friend hides among the lotus pond? My apologies for the disrespect." It turned out he had bitten the cup because someone in the pond had shot an extremely fine hidden weapon at him. He caught it, but his injuries from the recent fall had not yet healed, and his inner energy was unstable. The slight tremor from catching the weapon caused him to bite through the cup.

The wind swayed the lotus leaves. The pond held hundreds of lotuses, graceful and poised like countless beauties, making it impossible to discern who was hiding within. A Shui turned her head and smiled faintly. "Princess Xi?"

From the depths of the pond, a figure stepped lightly upon the leaves, her bearing graceful as she slowly approached the shore. Her peach-colored robes were elegant, sleeves fluttering gently. Amidst the lotuses and above the clear ripples, she seemed like an immortal—Xifang Tao, the Western Princess of the Dissolute Shop.

As she reached the shore, she suddenly paused, slightly taken aback. "It's you—"

Tang Lici raised his right hand, a slender golden hairpin pinched between his fingers. He, too, seemed surprised. "Miss Xifang Tao..." This Western Princess was the very courtesan he had once met years ago at the Vermillion Black Tortoise Stage, paying the price of A Goblet of Pearl for a single audience, only for her to be snatched away by a black-clad, masked man when he asked for her name. But if Xifang Tao was the Western Princess of the Dissolute Shop, how could she have been auctioned as a prized courtesan at the Vermillion Black Tortoise Stage? Moreover, according to Bai Suche, the Western Princess had transformed from male to female due to cultivating an esoteric art. If she had originally been male, it would have been even more impossible for her to be chosen as a courtesan there.

A Shui had recognized the familiar fragrance, distinct from the lotus blossoms, and thus knew it was Xifang Tao. Seeing the two exchange surprised glances, she asked, "You know each other?"

"You threw the hairpin without malice. May I guess—you have something to say?" Tang Lici noticed the odd expression on Xifang Tao's face. "I do not regard you as an enemy. If you have words to share, why not sit and share a drink?" He produced another small white porcelain cup from his sleeve and poured wine for her.

"A Shui," Xifang Tao slowly sat down but did not drink. "Is this man truly good... or evil?"When she asked this question, A Shui smiled faintly. "Young Master Tang is clever and resourceful. Although he often prefers not to reveal his true intentions, he is undoubtedly a good person."

Xifang Tao stared intently at Tang Lici. "But he doesn’t strike me as a chivalrous hero who shoulders the world’s burdens, nor a saint willing to sacrifice himself to save the suffering masses. Why meddle in the affairs of the martial world? Why oppose the Dissolute Shop? What is your true ambition?"

Tang Lici glanced at Xifang Tao and smiled slightly. "I simply wish to be a good person."

"Perhaps—you are someone worth betting on..." Xifang Tao spoke slowly. "You could force Xiao Hong to destroy the Yu Family Sword Manor, help Wan Yu Yuedan establish an immortal legacy, and perhaps truly dismantle the Dissolute Shop." Her gaze shifted to the small golden hairpin in Tang Lici’s hand. "Within the Dissolute Shop lies an immense secret."

"What secret?"

A Shui suddenly trembled slightly. "Princess Xi, do you know the secret behind that door?"

Xifang Tao did not answer immediately. After a long pause, she said, "Young Master Tang, are you aware that the Eastern and Western Princesses of the Dissolute Shop practice the 'Beauty Like Jade' technique? At its ninth level, a man transforms into a woman’s body."

"I did not know," Tang Lici replied with a smile. "Such a marvel exists in this world?"

"But I am, in truth, a woman," Xifang Tao said slowly. "One of the Seven Cloud Traveling Guests, One Peach Three Colors, was always a woman."

"Then why does everyone believe you were originally a man?" Tang Lici asked gently. "Have you always disguised yourself as a man?"

"I had no intention of relying on my beauty to achieve what my own abilities should rightfully earn me," Xifang Tao said coolly. "I am well aware that I am beautiful—that was not my choice. But my strength should far surpass my appearance."

"You are indeed a heroine among women," Tang Lici said, smiling at her. "But what exactly happened to the Seven Cloud Traveling Guests? Why are you now the 'Western Princess,' while Plum Blossom Numerology and Raging Orchid No Trace have been reduced to mindless killers?"

"Because they are not women," Xifang Tao said coldly. "Within the Dissolute Shop, there is a door... No one knows what lies behind it. On the surface, the Dissolute Shop is led by Liu Yan, but in truth, the fates of those within are controlled by two forces: one is Liu Yan and his pills; the other... lies behind that door. Liu Yan concerns himself with nothing. The two who command the Dissolute Shop are Xiao Hong and Fu Cui—and Fu Cui conveys the will of the one behind the door." Her expression remained impassive. "The person behind that door, and Fu Cui, both prefer women. Xiao Hong used 'String Plucking Soul Snatching' to subdue Plum Blossom Numerology and Raging Orchid No Trace, but since they are not beautiful women, they could only serve as killing puppets. As for me—because of my beauty, I won the favor of the one behind the door. He bestowed upon me the 'Beauty Like Jade' technique, intending to humiliate me once I transformed into a woman. But I was already a woman and could never master the technique. Though I dressed as one, everyone assumed I was a man."

"Does Liu Yan know about this?" Tang Lici asked gently. "And those white-robed women infatuated with Liu Yan—are they also subjected to the abuses of the one behind the door?""No, those women are infatuated with Liu Yan to the point of madness," Xifang Tao said coldly. "They would rather kill themselves than suffer humiliation from the man behind the door. The Dissolute Shop has its own Red-Clad Servants, who are the exclusive favorites of the man behind the door. These Red-Clad Servants are directly under his command, trained in illusionary and seductive arts, as well as soul-snatching formations."

"A strange door, and a man who seeks validation through women," Tang Lici remarked. "I suspect the person hiding behind that door isn’t as mysterious or terrifying as everyone thinks. I’d wager... he must have certain flaws and harbors deep jealousy toward Liu Yan."

Xifang Tao gave a slight nod. "The inner workings of the Dissolute Shop are complex, and uprooting it in one stroke is no easy task. Many of the White-Clad and Red-Clad Servants come from respectable martial sects. If their identities are exposed, it will inevitably stir greater grudges. Moreover, the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill’s poison spreads endlessly. Unless an antidote is found, all those poisoned will remain latent forces for the Dissolute Shop. Though the Azure Fall Palace achieved victory at Green Peak Cliff, it did not shake the foundation of the Dissolute Shop. Young Master Tang is a clever man—you must understand what needs to be done next."

"The key lies only in the antidote for the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill and the two individuals—Liu Yan and the man behind the door," Tang Lici said with a smile. "Peach Girl, entrusting this matter to me—do you intend to leave?"

Xifang Tao fell silent for a moment. "Infiltration into the Dissolute Shop is no simple feat. I am exhausted." She spoke slowly. "Xiao Hong has long suspected me. A few nights ago, I risked sneaking into her room. Though I was struck by several poisoned arrows, I managed to retrieve a few medicine bottles." She took out three differently colored porcelain vials from her sleeve. "Perhaps among these is a remedy for the String Plucking Soul Snatching technique. Plum Blossom Numerology and Raging Orchid No Trace have been poisoned for years. Despite my many attempts to save them, I’ve had no success. Young Master Tang might devise a way to test them. After years as comrades, I shouldn’t leave like this, but One Peach Three Colors cannot perish within the Dissolute Shop..." Her voice was calm. "With my strength alone, drawing my sword to resist would only lead to my death under the blades of the Red and White Clothed Servants. I don’t wish to die meaninglessly, so... I leave everything to you, Young Master Tang."

"Having infiltrated the Dissolute Shop for years, you are truly admirable, Miss. A peaceful departure is the best outcome," Tang Lici said with a faint smile. "But before you go, may I ask you one thing?"

"What is it?" Xifang Tao’s eyes flickered. Though her beauty was radiant, her gaze bore traces of weariness.

"The whereabouts of the Spring Mountain Beauty Hairpin," Tang Lici said. "This item concerns someone’s freedom. You may name any condition in exchange for it with me, Tang Lici."

"The Spring Mountain Beauty Hairpin..." Xifang Tao murmured. "This item is not for trade. Farewell for now." With a flick of her sleeve, she turned and vanished into the night.

"So, the Western Princess was One Peach Three Colors, who infiltrated the Dissolute Shop for years. The wonders of this world never cease to amaze," A Shui sighed softly. "I always thought she and the Eastern Princess were in perfect harmony, and that she was a trusted confidante of the man behind the door."

Tang Lici smiled faintly. "A Shui, don’t trouble yourself with schemes. Come with me. Tomorrow at dawn, at the Red Pavilion ten li away, I will exchange hostages with Liu Yan." He stood up. "There’s another matter I’d like to ask you—do you know if Liu Yan recently buried someone and erected a grave?"

"A grave?" A Shui’s eyes shifted. "What grave?""You are the closest to him. If he buried someone, perhaps no one else would notice except you," Tang Lici said softly. "Have you ever seen a blue ice coffin filled with ice spring water, with the person inside having their chest cut open and their heart missing?"

"A blue ice coffin..." A Shui pondered deeply. "A blue ice coffin... I don’t recall him ever burying anyone, nor have I seen a blue ice coffin. But before he left for Green Peak Cliff, he stayed in Bodhi Valley for two or three days, during which no one was allowed to disturb him. Now that Dissolute Shop has relocated, I don’t know where they’ve moved to. If he truly buried someone, if not in the gardens of Dissolute Shop, then it must be within Bodhi Valley."

"Where is Bodhi Valley?" Tang Lici flicked his sleeve and strode forward, hands behind his back.

"Piaoling Mei Yuan," A Shui replied with a slight frown. "I can draw you a map. Dissolute Shop’s base was originally in Piaoling Mei Yuan, and Bodhi Valley is a ravine behind it."

"Thank you." Tang Lici continued walking without turning back or speaking further.

The person in the blue ice coffin must be very important to him. A Shui followed behind Tang Lici. The first time she met him, she thought him radiant, elegant, and effortlessly charming. Now, months later, Tang Lici remained just as dazzling, just as composed—even more so, having become a figure of great renown and status in the martial world. Yet she sensed something in his brow... beyond the usual complexity, there was now melancholy.

It was as though a person who once carried a hundred burdens now carried a hundred and ten. Though the increase was slight, the weight had grown so heavy... so heavy that even someone who once bore burdens with ease now seemed to breathe with stifled weariness.

Yet it was only weariness, not the exhaustion of surrender. His steps remained swift and unhesitating, as if even with a hundred, a hundred and ten, or a hundred and twenty unresolved troubles, he still had faith that he could solve them one by one—that if he persevered to the end, everything would be well.

Following behind him, watching his back, she suddenly felt a surge of admiration, heartache, and an indescribable tangle of emotions... What kind of person had he been? And what kind of person would he become?