The Wanted Poster

As soon as she entered the city gates, Yan Zi spotted a squad of soldiers dispersing the crowd and pasting up a giant wanted poster on the wall to her left.

She had only glanced at it from the corner of her eye when she froze. The enormous portrait was exquisitely detailed and lifelike. It depicted a young man in green, handsome and imposing—none other than Xu Yi.

While Yan Zi was still reeling in astonishment, several more giant posters were pasted up beside it. They showed Yuan Qinghua, Yan Zi, and several of Zimo Xuan's head shopkeepers. There was even a picture of a plump, goofy-looking duck—Auspicious Duck.

At last, another enormous portrait was put up, larger than all the previous ones combined. It showed a terrifying black-furred beast, its appearance savage and its baleful aura overwhelming.

Yan Zi composed herself and hurried on. She slipped into the corner of a lamb-offal soup stall and turned away for a moment. When she turned back, her bright, lovely face had become sallow, her delicate brows had turned thick as silkworms, and their ends slanted upward. She looked like an entirely different person.

Putting away the Hundred Transformations Box, she hurried toward the giant posters. By then, a crowd had gathered to watch. Mixed in among them, she silently read the text beneath Xu Yi's portrait. "Now there is Xu Yi, a commoner of Guang'an, blessed by Heaven with an awakened and enlightened mind. He possesses extraordinary talent in poetry and prose, and has composed many celebrated works, earning fame throughout the world. All revere him as the Poet Immortal and Word Sage. Our wise emperor, cherishing talent, plucked him from obscurity and bestowed upon him high office and generous rewards. Yet this scoundrel is talented but lacking in virtue, crafty