Although Fang Ming had estimated that people from White Cloud Temple would arrive soon, he hadn't expected something to happen so suddenly and throw his plans into disarray. "What? Say that again?"
Fang Ming still found it strange, so he ordered his subordinate to explain the news in detail.
"Reporting to my lord, according to the information we received, Su Xia, the Great Lady Su, will come to Anchang County on the fifth day of the seventh month to give a performance. Anchang County is already packed with people. Young masters and scholars from all over Wenchang Prefecture are arriving in an unending stream, and the crowds keep growing. It's truly beyond our ability to check everyone accurately. I beg my lord's forgiveness!" Zhou Si spoke with a wry smile, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
Su Xia was an extraordinary woman, renowned throughout the land for her mastery of the qin. She was praised for "the purity of her music, like autumn moonlight, like a clear river, like a cold pool—an endless expanse of jade, its crystalline clarity reaching deep within." People also said, "Her music is as harmonious as metal and stone; with strings and bamboo playing together, listeners grow so entranced they forget their weariness." She was acclaimed as a great master of the qin.
Rumor had it that the woman came from a courtesan's background. Though blessed with breathtaking beauty, she had emerged from the mire unstained. She had once performed in the imperial capital, captivating tens of thousands with a single song. The common rabble were never among her company; she was deeply acquainted with the famous scholars and high officials of her time. The waters surrounding her ran so deep that even Fang Ming felt wary.
Anchang County was remote, with little contact with other places. Fang Ming's current strength was enough to keep watch on all who came and went. As soon as anyone from White Cloud Temple entered Anchang, they would be discovered. With the initiative in hand, he could then make his arrangements at leisure. He hadn't expected that, at this very moment, the Great Lady Su would come to Anchang to perform. With crowds surging like mountains and seas, keeping watch had become impossible.
"Anchang is tucked away in a corner. Why would the Great Lady Su come here to perform?" Fang Ming seemed to ask, though he also sounded as if he were talking to himself.
"My lord, I happen to know a little about this. The Great Lady Su says she wishes to travel the land, collect musical scores, and hone her skills. For that reason, she even turned down an appointment with the imperial court's Pear Garden. Traveling lightly, she visits different places, giving a performance wherever she goes. She's already given dozens of them. They say one person has followed her all the way from the imperial capital without missing a single performance!"
Even so, Fang Ming still felt there was more to this than met the eye. He furrowed his brow.
"My lord... I'd like to ask for a day off!" Zhou Si suddenly requested.
"You... don't tell me you want to go enjoy the qin performance too?" Fang Ming was startled. It seemed he had underestimated the influence of the great masters of this era.
"How could anyone miss such an elegant occasion?" Zhou Si retorted, completely unabashed.
Fang Ming could only smile wryly, but still said, "The county seat is bound by strict laws. You divine officials cannot enter. Otherwise, your divine bodies will only suffer greatly."
The county seat was protected by the fortune of the human realm. Even now, Fang Ming had only about two thousand followers in the county seat. At that level, he could come and go without impediment. Wang Zhong and Xie Jin, who held official positions, would also be fine, but his subordinate divine officials would still be affected. "Sigh..." Zhou Si's regret was plain to see.
"Sigh..." Fang Ming rose and went to the garden in the rear courtyard. There, green trees formed a canopy and hundreds of flowers bloomed. Though it was summer, the entire garden was lush with blossoms. This was one of the marvels of the Divine Domain, making it feel like a land of immortals. Yet at that moment, not even the garden's riot of colors could bring him the slightest joy.
Fang Ming wandered around at random and came to a bamboo grove. A small pavilion stood among the trees, carrying a quiet, secluded charm.
Inside the pavilion, someone was brewing tea and admiring the flowers.
Fang Ming walked over and said with a smile, "Sir, you certainly know how to enjoy a peaceful moment. I hope I'm not disturbing you?"
The man was exceptionally refined. He rose and bowed; it was He Yuqing.
"This garden is splendid, but this pavilion is still my favorite. Divine Lord, your arrival is a joy beyond measure. How could you possibly be disturbing me?" He Yuqing poured another cup of clear tea and invited Fang Ming to try it.
"Divine Lord, what do you think of my 'Cloudtop Maofeng'?"
Fang Ming saw mist curling above the cup, its liquor clear green with a faint yellow hue. The first sip tasted mellow and sweet, with an orchid-like fragrance and a long, lingering finish. Even he, who knew little about tea, couldn't help praising it. "Excellent!"
"Hehe..." He Yuqing smiled. "This tea is painstaking to make and depends greatly on the weather to reach its best. Even my family cannot drink it often. Divine Lord, you can manifest all things with Divine Power, so you've certainly spoiled us with your generosity..."
Fang Ming took another sip before saying, "I was just about to seek you out, and yet here we are. There's something I'd like to ask you."
"Please, Divine Lord!" He Yuqing said, his expression turning serious.
"Do you know Su Xia, the Great Lady Su?" Fang Ming didn't hesitate to explain the matter.
"The Great Lady Su! I've long admired her from afar. I've heard she excels in both music and beauty, but regrettably, I've never had the chance to meet her!" He Yuqing said with a sigh.
Seeing Fang Ming's expression darken, he hurriedly added, "However, they say her mother had dealings with a certain Daoist Sect and died of illness years ago. Su Xia also has a bodyguard, Hou Bai, the 'Amorous Swordsman' of those days. They say her music so captivated him that he willingly became her servant."
"Oh!" Fang Ming's interest was piqued, but when he pressed further, it turned out that this was all He Yuqing knew. His family was a prominent commandery lineage, not an aristocratic clan, and its reach didn't extend to the imperial capital.
Fang Ming stood and paced a few steps, murmuring, "Su Xia... White Cloud Temple..." He turned the words over carefully, sensing some hidden secret.
Yuheng, whom Fang Ming had been thinking about, had also arrived in Anchang County.
Thanks to Su Xia, and because Yuheng was extremely cautious, he had changed into a scholar's robe and ridden a donkey. He looked just like a poor young gentleman who admired Su Xia and had come especially to catch a glimpse of her beauty.
People like that were common enough these past few days. Fang Ming's subordinates also lacked the Qi-Reading Divine Art, so Yuheng managed to slip into the county seat and find a modest inn.
He rented a room. The attentive attendant brought him hot water, then food and wine: roast chicken, sliced white meat, several stir-fried vegetable dishes, and a bowl of soup, all fragrant enough to whet the appetite. The Daoist Sect had no prohibition against meat. Yuheng tipped the attendant a few coins and sent him away.
Though Yuheng had reached the fasting realm, he still needed the vital essence of food to replenish himself. Now that he was down from the mountain, there was no need to hold back.
But after Yuheng closed the door and confirmed no one was nearby, he frowned.
"What exactly was that thing I saw on the road? It looked like a ghost cultivator, but wasn't one. It wasn't a Ferocious Ghost or a Vengeful Ghost, either. And the Land God's worship in the city is strange indeed. This place really is most peculiar!"
Yuheng had opened his spiritual eye, so he could naturally see ghosts. On the road, he had spotted the scouts Fang Ming had sent out, but he was cautious by nature and didn't want to alert them. Besides, he had even avoided going to Whitewater Temple, for fear of being watched.
"And Su Xia is coming here, too. This is truly..."
Yuheng had some idea of Su Xia's identity. When he thought of what his master had said before he came down the mountain—that Wu Long was in the south—it made his blood run cold.
"I didn't expect I'd have to use this as soon as I arrived in Anchang..." Yuheng gave a wry smile.
He took two sheets of talisman paper from his robes and folded them a few times, turning them into two paper cranes. Yuheng whispered a few words to the cranes, formed a hand seal, and said, "Go!"
The paper cranes seemed to come alive. They flapped into the air, glimmering with light, passed straight through the window, and flew off in two different directions.
This was a secret technique of White Cloud Temple: the Flying Crane Messenger. Only true disciples could use it. The paper cranes carried a divine art invisible to ordinary people and could fly a thousand li in a day, outpacing even a messenger bird.
One flew to Whitewater Temple in the city, to tell Baihe that he had arrived and warn him not to act rashly, much less come to meet him.
The other flew straight to the mountain gate. Su Xia was giving a performance, yet the sect had received no news. Though the secular disciples didn't know Su Xia's identity and so hadn't reported it, the person in charge of gathering information was suspicious indeed. With Wu Long now abroad, they couldn't afford to be careless.
Yuheng watched the paper cranes fly away, his gaze seeming to follow them, a faint, eerie light shining in his eyes...
In the blink of an eye, it was the night of the fifth day of the seventh month. The county seat was already packed shoulder to shoulder, a sea of people.
The Great Lady Su had arrived in Anchang County the day before. It was said that County Magistrate Wei Zhun had welcomed her warmly, and that her party was staying at the county yamen.
Magistrate Wei had apparently hit it off with the Great Lady Su. He had personally reserved the entire Welcome Inn and dispatched constables to keep order, preventing any trouble from breaking out.
The Welcome Inn had been extensively renovated. Its floors had been opened up and connected, with red-lacquered pillars, jade cups, and gauzy curtains draped around the beams. Fresh flowers had even been brought in from the mountains to decorate the place, giving the entire building an elegant air.
A raised platform had been set up in the center of the main hall for Su Xia's performance. More than a dozen private rooms had been built on the second floor for high officials and nobles. The first floor had shared seating, reserved for wealthy households and rich gentry. As for ordinary commoners, this was an elegant affair—how could the rabble be allowed to share it?
The Welcome Inn had been spacious to begin with, and the renovations let it hold a thousand people. Even so, demand far exceeded capacity. The Four Great Families of Anchang joined forces, and, as local powers, managed to secure a private room on the second floor.
The private room was filled with fragrant incense, and tea and refreshments were laid out with great care. Everything was refined, and a fresh fragrance drifted through the air. Yet only one person was in the room; none of the heads of the Four Great Families could be seen. He was unremarkable in appearance, and his fingers were covered in calluses. He didn't look like a man of learning at all, but more like a farmer.
This man was one of Fang Ming's divine avatars. Though the heads of the Four Great Families were also interested in this elegant occasion, the matter of what came after death carried greater weight. After joining forces to reserve the room, they dismissed the maids and servants, leaving Fang Ming to enjoy it alone.
The second-floor private rooms had been designed with great ingenuity. From the windows, one had a perfect view of the platform, with an unobstructed line of sight.
Fang Ming was lost in thought when he heard people call out:
"The Great Lady Su has appeared!"
"She really is breathtakingly beautiful!"
His heart stirred, and he looked out the window.
He couldn't help but stare blankly. A peerless beauty stood there, her white dress as pure as snow, fluttering in the breeze. She was impossibly graceful and carefree, gazing down at the clear stream with calm composure.
The bright moon scattered its gentle light, bathing her in a tender glow. She seemed to have been formed from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth itself, like a spirit of nature who had no place in the mortal world.
As she moved, the surroundings seemed to turn into an immortal realm, exuding an ethereal aura that revealed the very essence of beauty—a Daoist meaning beyond the brushstrokes of even the greatest painters.
Her eyes, in particular, seemed to hold every emotion in the world, along with a tender attachment to all things. Her gaze rippled like autumn waters, stirring memories of the innocent romance of Fang Ming's previous life.
Fang Ming was so overwhelmed by her peerless, otherworldly beauty that, for a moment, he couldn't speak.
Just then, she spoke softly in a sweet, untainted voice. "Su Xia thanks you all for coming to support me. I can only offer one song to express my gratitude!"
Fang Ming jolted and came back to his senses, as if waking from a dream.
That brief moment had nearly made him feel as though he had been reborn all over again.
Only then did he regain his composure and use the Qi-Reading Divine Art. He was startled again.
He saw clear light swirling around her, while red and yellow qi gathered like rippling water. Above it, blue qi rose and took the shape of a small blue seal. Its radiance flashed so brightly that Fang Ming's eyes stung. When he tried to look again, he could no longer see it. At that moment, Su Xia seemed to sense something and glanced over this way by chance, making Fang Ming's heart give a great leap.
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