Extra 1: Phantom in the Palace Walls I (Scripted Hunt)

The spring sunshine was warm and gentle, unlike winter's biting winds or midsummer's relentless heat. There were only the two of them in the villa district of Landscape Orchid Pavilion, and the surrounding ordinary houses were far enough away to leave them a great deal of private space.

Thinking the spring weather was lovely, the two of them carried wicker chairs and a small table into the yard. Beyond a short fence lay a broad river. It had rained a few days ago, and now the hydroelectric station upstream had opened its gates. The river surged fiercely, its rushing waters making this place seem all the more tranquil.

Last year, Jiang Hansheng had someone build a trellis in the yard, intending to grow wisteria on it. He thought the dangling blossoms would surely look beautiful when they bloomed. Li Wenchuan had refused to agree, saying that pretty things were useless if they could not be eaten. He insisted on planting grapes instead, convinced that strings of grapes hanging in summer would look just as lovely.

But Jiang Hansheng felt that would ruin the aesthetics. After some back-and-forth, they each compromised and planted both. Now, amid the small, dense green leaves of the wisteria were the broad, duck-foot-shaped leaves of the grapevines. They were scattered in an orderly fashion and looked surprisingly decent.

Jiang Hansheng simply could not imagine what it would look like with flowers blooming on one side and fruit hanging on the other. He had already given up, especially since Li Wenchuan had dug up another patch of ground that Jiang Hansheng had planned to fill with tulips, intending to plant muskmelons and watermelons instead.

"They invited you sincerely. Do you want to go have some fun?" Li Wenchuan waved a hand in front of Jiang Hansheng. He