Exploring Chang'an

Early the next morning, daylight had only just begun to glimmer.

As usual, Qing Dai entered the room carrying warm water and called softly, "Sir, it's time to dress."

When she looked up at Lu Changfeng beside the bed, she suddenly froze.

He wore plain white underclothes, his ink-black hair hanging loose. His already handsome features seemed to have been meticulously sculpted, and an indescribable radiance played across his face.

His skin gleamed like jade, finer even than the exquisite Hangzhou silk he wore.

What startled Qing Dai most was that, although he was clearly still the same man, simply sitting there so casually, he naturally exuded a captivating grace. The eyes he turned toward her were deep as pools, and their shifting light made her heart quicken despite herself.

Overnight, he seemed to have shed his old flesh and bones.

-There was a refined gentleman, as though cut and filed, carved and polished.

"S-sir..."

Qing Dai hastily lowered her head, the tips of her ears growing warm.

She had always been calm and composed, yet now she felt inexplicably nervous.

"..."

Seeing her reaction, Lu Changfeng inwardly marveled at the astonishing effects of the Ice Skin, Jade Bones Art. He took a deep breath and silently circulated his energy, using the Thousand-Face Disguise Art to tone down the "smoothing" and "whitening" effects.

"How about now?"

"Uh..."

Qing Dai looked up. He no longer seemed quite so... "eye-catching." She nodded instinctively, then could not resist asking softly, "Sir, today you seem... a little different..."

Lu Changfeng replied helplessly, "Let's call it a small breakthrough in my cultivation art."

He had only just learned the Thousand-Face Disguise Art and was not yet proficient in using it. Hopefully, it would not let him down today.

The information had been quite clear: leaving everyone else aside, Princess Anle, Li Guo'er, was obsessed with good looks! She had taken up with Wu Yanxiu precisely because he was "handsome in bearing and skilled in song and dance."

In short, there was no harm in keeping a low profile.

"I'm only turning down the beauty filter. It should be fine..."

Lu Changfeng picked up a mirror and examined himself. Ancient bronze mirrors were rather blurry, so he could not tell how many shades darker his complexion had become. Judging by Qing Dai's reaction, however, there should be no problem. "I'll have to find time to make a mirror... Modern coating methods won't work, but a tin-amalgam mercury mirror shouldn't be too difficult..."

He washed up and ate breakfast.

Qing Dai brought him the informal robes that had been made overnight-a moon-white, round-collared gown with a horizontal hem panel, fashioned from the finest Wu Silk. Light and softly draping, it shimmered faintly like rippling water in the light.

Lu Changfeng glanced at it. "The literary gathering begins at dusk. It won't be too late to go to the Nine-Shao Music Bureau this afternoon. Set the clothes aside for now. You should know disguise techniques too. Come out for a stroll with me."

Qing Dai paused, then hurriedly asked, "Where would you like to go, sir? The Great Vehicle Sect suffered heavy losses last night, with over a hundred killed or wounded. The few who escaped are still being hunted by the Inner Guard, and Chang'an is unsettled. At a time like this, you should avoid going out as much as possible. Whatever you need, just give the word, and I will do everything I can!"

Lu Changfeng shook his head. "Precisely because every gust of wind and crane's cry has everyone on edge, going out in disguise will be safer. The Great Vehicle Sect's remnants can barely look after themselves. Who would pay attention to two ordinary passersby?"

Qing Dai pressed her lips together. Seeing that he had made up his mind, and knowing he did not want to remain cooped up in the residence, she stopped trying to persuade him and nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll prepare at once." She was, after all, a carefully trained member of the Inner Guard, a spy. Although her disguise techniques were not as wondrous as the Thousand-Face Disguise Art, they were still superb.

A short while later, both had transformed their appearances.

Lu Changfeng used the Thousand-Face Disguise Art to subtly adjust his bone structure, suppress his excessively eye-catching grace, and give himself an ordinary complexion, becoming a young scholar with pleasant but hardly breathtaking features;

Qing Dai dressed herself as a plainly clothed young guard and followed unobtrusively behind him.

Princess Taiping's Residence stood in Xingdao Ward, its grounds sprawling and its security strict.

The two slipped through a side gate and quietly blended into the ward's streets.

Once outside the bounds of the Princess's Residence, the bustle and vitality of everyday life swept over them.

Today was the Ten-Day Recess. Officials were off duty, merchants gathered in droves, and Chang'an was at its liveliest.

Xingdao Ward mostly housed the mansions of powerful officials and nobles. Its streets were broad and clean, with carriages rolling steadily along.

Unlike the area around the Princess's Residence, the farther south they went toward the Western Market, the more boisterous and unrestrained the atmosphere became.

Lu Changfeng surveyed his surroundings with interest.

Compared with the Eastern Market's "upscale" air, the Western Market felt more "grassroots" and "exotic." Camel caravans laden with goods jingled as they entered through the western gate. Foreign merchants from the Western Regions were far more numerous here than in Xingdao Ward, with high noses and deep-set eyes, speaking all manner of languages and carrying strong scents of spices and travel dust.

Vendors selling foreign flatbreads and three-fruit wine cried especially loudly. There were even performers in assorted foreign garb performing illusions in the streets, drawing crowds three layers deep inside and three layers deep outside.

Lu Changfeng keenly noticed that patrols of Constables and Golden Crow Guards had also increased considerably. Their eyes lingered especially on suspicious foreign merchants and people dressed as wandering martial artists. Clearly, last night's trouble with the Great Vehicle Sect had made this place, where dragons and snakes mingled, a priority for surveillance.

Qing Dai looked tense, ready to act at any moment.

Lu Changfeng remained entirely unconcerned. Concealing his aura, he passed smoothly through the area like an ordinary scholar captivated by the bustling sights. They headed north along the road east of Xingdao Ward and the Western Market, passing through Buzheng Ward and Liquan Ward as the streetscape continued to change.

Noble mansions grew more numerous again, but more taverns and inns also began to appear.

The Western Market's rough atmosphere gradually faded, replaced by something more refined, even faintly suggestive of amorous pleasures. Ahead lay Pingkang Ward, the world-renowned "haven of romance."

"Sir..."

Qing Dai stared blankly at the three all-too-familiar characters above the ward gate. Only then did she realize where they had come!

Her voice immediately took on a barely perceptible urgency and reluctance.

"Are we... really going inside?"

She tried to keep her voice calm, as though concerned only for his safety. "This place is crowded with all sorts, with people from every creed and walk of life. It's exactly the sort of place where remnants of the Great Vehicle Sect might hide! I think we should..."

Naturally, Lu Changfeng heard the reluctance beneath her words.

But this was a rare opportunity. He had things to do that afternoon, and today he had only come to broaden his horizons.

He smiled faintly. "It's fine. Sometimes the most dangerous places are the safest. Besides, I've already asked Chen Jing'an. There's a place here called the Moon-Gathering Tower, a leading establishment in the southern quarter, renowned for its clear singing and elegant music. It has powerful backing and is no ordinary pleasure house. We're only going to listen to music, watch dancing, and experience Chang'an's refined pleasures. There's no need to worry too much."

The Chen Jing'an he mentioned was a newly promoted medical assistant at the Spirit Pivot Institute.

Qing Dai's expression darkened at the name.

An inexplicable anger flared in her heart. She resented Chen Jing'an for leading her master astray, yet also felt an indefinable hurt-her master was a man as pure as the breeze and moonlight after rain. How could he listen to such a person's coaxing and visit a place of painted blossoms?

"Medical Assistant Chen..."

Qing Dai all but gritted her teeth, squeezing the words out between them. "...really is 'well-informed'!"

Seeing her puffed-up indignation and her reluctance to speak openly, Lu Changfeng found her rather amusing. Naturally, he understood what had upset her. She probably felt disappointed, as though this tarnished his image as an "enlightened master." But this was simply who he was. He had no interest in putting on a performance of remaining unmoved with a woman in his lap or guarding his chastity like jade, in either his past life or this one.

At that thought, the corners of his lips rose slightly. Far from taking offense, he found Qing Dai's indignation, tinged with personal feelings, much more lively and endearing than her usual respectful composure.

Lu Changfeng said casually, "Let's go. I hear the Moon-Gathering Tower has 'Chang'an's foremost zither immortal.' If I can hear her play a piece, today's outing won't have been wasted. I hope she won't disappoint me."

Qing Dai pressed her lips tightly together and said nothing more.

She knew further words would be useless. All she could do was suppress her anger at Chen Jing'an along with the bitterness in her heart and silently follow Lu Changfeng, resolving not to leave his side for even a step. She would never let those "disreputable" people get close to him.

The two entered Pingkang Ward.

Before long, an imposing three-story building appeared before them, with soaring eaves and bracketed supports. A gold-lettered plaque reading "Moon-Gathering Tower" hung above the entrance. Guests came and went in a steady stream, yet there was no clamor. The atmosphere was so elegant that it scarcely resembled a place of amorous entertainment.

As soon as they approached, a host in blue robes came forward. His gaze passed over Lu Changfeng and Qing Dai, and he immediately recognized the young scholar as the one in charge. Cupping his hands in greeting, he offered a courteous smile. "You two gentlemen are unfamiliar faces. This must be your first visit to our establishment? You are most welcome."

He stepped half a pace aside, revealing the tasteful furnishings inside and the faint, pleasing strains of strings and pipes. He continued, "All our young ladies are accomplished performers. If you simply wish to hear music and watch dancing, you need only offer the customary performance fee, and a beauty will attend you."

Here he paused briefly, lowering his voice with a solemn air. "However, if you have also come because of our reputation and wish to meet Miss Qingge, then the rules... are another matter."

"Oh?"

Lu Changfeng raised his brows slightly, displaying just the right degree of curiosity. "I'd like to hear the details."

The host smiled faintly, his words carrying undisguised admiration and a trace of pride. "Miss Qingge is the foremost beauty of our Moon-Gathering Tower, as well as the 'zither immortal' renowned throughout Chang'an. To meet her, gold and silver count for nothing; only affinity matters. She has established the Three Elegance Trials, testing literature, artistry, and the heart. Only those who pass all three may ascend to the Cloud-Deep Pavilion on the third floor and hear her personally play a piece on the zither. As for whether things might go further... that depends entirely on whether the lady herself favors you."

He cupped his hands slightly, respectful but leaving no room for dispute. "Would you prefer to find a young lady downstairs and listen to music, sir, or... attempt the Three Elegance Trials?"

The rules were certainly distinctive.

Lu Changfeng had come to experience Chang'an's refined pleasures in the first place. Naturally, he would not miss this opportunity. "Then I'll give them a try."

The host was not surprised in the least. Nine out of ten visitors to the Moon-Gathering Tower made this choice, but those who could meet the lady and hear her play numbered no more than the fingers of one hand, and every one of them possessed talent towering eight bushels high.

This fellow was most likely another arrogant scholar who knew neither the height of heaven nor the depth of earth.

Without betraying his thoughts, he bowed and gestured with a smile. "This way, sir. The first trial is in the side hall."

Inside the side hall, more than a dozen scholars were already sitting or standing about, conversing quietly. Their eyes occasionally flicked toward a calligraphy scroll hanging at the front of the hall, which bore the first trial's question:

-"A phoenix folds its wings and rests upon a parasol-tree branch; common birds cannot behold a true dragon's bearing. (Guess one character.)"

-"Note: Once you have unraveled the mystery, compose a quatrain aloud on the meaning of this character, without revealing the character itself in the poem."

Everyone was racking their brains over the riddle, discussing it at length:

"A phoenix folding its wings... could it mean removing the 'bird' from Feng, 'phoenix,' leaving Fan, 'ordinary'?"

"But how do you explain 'common birds cannot behold a true dragon's bearing'? If there's no 'bird' in ordinary, could it be how many?"

What do fán or jǐ have to do with a 'dragon's bearing'? It doesn't fit. It doesn't fit!

"Miss Qingge's question is far too devious..."