The man in the painting

The next day, Twin Osmanthus Alley.

Drip, drip...

The ethereal patter of raindrops falling into puddles made the room especially quiet.

On the bed beside the window, Ye Jingtang opened his eyes and turned to look outside. The sky was gray, and he could not tell whether it was morning or afternoon.

After working hard all night, Niao Niao slept beside the pillow with his claws pointing skyward. When Ye Jingtang moved, he gave a drowsy "Chirp..." before rolling over and going back to sleep.

Ye Jingtang scratched the large bird with a finger, then covered him with the thin quilt. Sitting up, he took the gold sheet from inside his robe to examine it.

Ever since learning of the Dragon-Mingling Diagram's wonders from Adoptive Father's letter, he had longed for it. Yet now that he had unexpectedly obtained it, another problem had arisen.

The gold sheet in his hand had withstood a full-force saber strike without suffering the slightest damage, so it was most likely genuine. However, neither side bore any writing, only a picture of a "tortoise carrying three mountains," without a single hint. Even knowing it was a supreme martial manual recording a unique secret art, he had no idea where to begin practicing.

Ye Jingtang studied the gold sheet closely, trying to unravel the mysteries hidden in the drawing's lines. After examining it for a while, he looked out at the courtyard.

The room where Ye Jingtang slept was in the west wing, opposite the kitchen, while Luo Ning and Zhe Yunli stayed in the main house.

Zhe Yunli was lively and could never sit still. With the other two catching up on sleep and nothing to do at home, she had gone out wandering the streets again. Luo Ning was still resting in the main house.

Since the three of them had moved into the courtyard residence, the main house had undergone a transformation as vast as heaven overturning and earth shifting.

After Zhe Yunli bought a few pieces of furniture, the main room looked more like a proper home. A small cabinet stood in a corner, topped with rouge, powder, a bronze mirror, a wooden comb, and other items.

On the bed, Luo Ning slept fully dressed, a thin blanket covering her waist and tracing its flawless curves.

She had indeed been rather tired when she returned and lay down in the middle of the night. But after yesterday's unforgettable night, how could she, as a woman, possibly sleep?

Luo Ning lay on her side against the pillow, her lustrous, peach-blossom eyes gazing somewhat absently at the wall. Her pale, jade-like fingers rested on her lips as she recalled that brief kiss, their lips parting almost as soon as they touched.

From the moment she lay down before dawn until now, her mind had also involuntarily retraced every step of her past.

She had been born in the river country of Jiangzhou, into a family considered prominent in the martial world. Unfortunately, while she was still learning to walk, enemies had descended upon her family. The older generation had been killed or wounded, and the family's fortunes had declined ever since.

As a young woman, she should never have had to venture into the martial world. But her talent was exceptional. If she did not step forward to shoulder the burden, who would settle those debts of gratitude and vengeance?

When she first entered the martial world, her ambitions had been immense. She had sworn to become its foremost figure, like Fengguancheng.

But the martial world was too vast, and the heavens too high. After all her wandering, she had accomplished nothing beyond earning the title of "the martial world's greatest beauty."

Meanwhile, her former enemy had abruptly repented and entered the Thousand Buddha Temple in Shazhou, becoming a disciple of Zen Master Shenchen, one of the Two Sages.

Zen Master Shenchen had said her enemy had repented and borne the guilt of his past deeds in his heart; living itself was his punishment.

How ridiculous. If being alive counted as punishment, what did that make those who had died unjustly? Liberated?

To settle those old grudges, she had searched far and wide. She had visited Jade Void Mountain and befriended Perfected Person Xuanji, and traveled to Guancheng in Southern Heaven to pay her respects to the Martial Immortal. Yet she had received neither's true teachings, until she met the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master.

Following her ancestral injunctions, the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master wanted to restore the previous dynasty. Put plainly, she intended to rebel against Great Wei. Rebellion meant becoming emperor; even if the Sect Master did not want the throne, her followers would drape the yellow imperial robe over her shoulders. But since ancient times, who had ever heard of a woman becoming emperor?

Even if the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master thought it possible, her commanders would fear that the realm they had fought so hard to conquer would end up benefiting an outsider as a woman's dowry.

Thus, the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master promised to teach Luo Ning everything once she mastered martial arts that bordered on the divine. In exchange, Luo Ning would help conceal her identity, acting as the Sect Master's wife and managing the Sky-Pacifying Sect's internal affairs.

The two heroines, both newly arrived in the martial world, had hit it off immediately and become an immortal couple whose blissful union inspired universal envy.

At first, their life had held great promise. But how could mastering martial arts to rival the Two Sages on their mountains ever be easy?

After ascending Southern Skies Mountain, her life seemed to have frozen in place. Her days were monotonous, spent practicing martial arts, yet the gulf between her and the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master only widened. The glory of being "the martial world's greatest beauty" gradually faded, leaving only endless trivial affairs to entangle her. Somehow, she had ended up here.

The shameless little rogue's arrival had been like a stone suddenly thrown into a pool of stagnant water, stirring a thousand ripples that would never settle again.

Luo Ning could not understand how a man could be so brazen and so thick-skinned.

Yet she could do nothing about him. She could neither hit nor scold him, only let him take an inch and then a mile, like slowly boiling a frog in warm water.

She and the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master might merely be helping one another, but everyone in the martial world knew them as husband and wife.

If word spread that "the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master's wife was carrying on with a young man" while she was out exchanging sweet nothings with him, would the formidable reputation the Sect Master had painstakingly built not collapse overnight?

She would also become a shameless woman, fickle as water and drifting blossoms...

And you still ask who I am. You'd die of fright if I told you...

Luo Ning felt no inclination to sleep. The more she thought, the more her thoughts tangled like hemp. While countless worries crowded her mind, the light in the room suddenly dimmed.

Turning to look, she found the handsome little rogue standing silently at the window.

?

Luo Ning's expression cooled slightly, and she pulled the thin quilt up a little.

"What are you looking at?"

"I just woke up. I'm going to report back to the Black Bureau, so I came to say hello. Don't let your guard down while you're home alone."

Utterly exhausted in body and mind, Luo Ning wanted nothing to do with Ye Jingtang. She gently rolled over, leaving him facing the back of her head.

"Sigh..."

Soon, the footsteps receded.

Luo Ning took a deep breath, hugged her little watermelon, and once again let her thoughts twist through a hundred turns...

Twin Osmanthus Alley was quite far from Jade Resonance Tower. After eating a meal on the street, Ye Jingtang arrived outside the Black Bureau, which had no signboard, carrying the Purple Sandalwood Box.

A flagpole stood in the small square outside the bureau. The rotting head that had hung there had been replaced with a fresh one.

A few idle onlookers watched from the street, whispering among themselves.

"Who's that?"

"The thief king of Yanzhou, Wingless Owl. He stole from plenty of important people and had several lives on his hands..."

"The burglar who sneaked into the Censorate Pavilion a few days ago? How'd he suddenly get caught?"

"He got too bold. Of all the things to steal, he stole a person-and one of Chancellor Li's people at that..."

"Well, he deserved to die, then..."

Ye Jingtang pretended not to hear the gossip and presented his token outside the Black Bureau.

Within moments, Shang Jianli emerged from the bureau and cupped his hands from a distance.

"You're remarkably capable, Young Master Ye. I truly never imagined you could bring this thief to justice in just a few days."

"I merely contributed a little legwork. Without the bureau's full support in spreading the news everywhere, how could I have caught that burglar...?"

Exchanging pleasantries, they reached the rear of the bureau. The Black Bureau's chief clerk brought three hundred taels in reward money, along with a commendation bearing Prince Jing's seal, to encourage his chivalrous deeds.

Considering Wingless Owl's reputation and how difficult he had been to catch, three hundred taels was hardly a large reward. Still, apart from the wages he had received in advance from Sanniang, this was the first real pot of gold he had earned through his own abilities.

Ye Jingtang was not greedy, but his purse was indeed rather lean, so he accepted it gladly. Only after completing the necessary procedures to close the case did he ask:

"Lord Shang, is Prince Jing at her residence?"

"Prince Jing is entertaining a guest at her residence. The visitor is someone of high standing, so it may be inconvenient. However, Prince Jing left instructions this morning that if you came, you should wait a little. I'll go announce your arrival."

As he spoke, Shang Jianli led Ye Jingtang to a tea room at the rear of the bureau.

The tea room was probably where they ordinarily discussed business. It was plain and unremarkable.

Ye Jingtang sat down by the tea table, set the Purple Sandalwood Box containing the Horned Gentleman on it, and quietly waited for Prince Jing to summon him...

Behind the Black Bureau, atop Jade Resonance Tower.

The sweeping curtain of rain stirred the wind chimes hanging beneath the terrace eaves, while ethereal zither music drifted from the room.

Dong~ dong~...

Several palace maids waited outside the study for orders. Dressed in a python robe threaded with silver, Dongfang Liren stood before a painting table, brush in hand, sketching the beauty and scenery before her.

Beyond the zither stand directly ahead, a young married woman in an opulent phoenix gown sat gracefully sideways. Her pale, jade-like fingers plucked the strings, while her ripe, full buttocks traced a weighty half-curve beneath her skirt. Yet her expression held a touch of springtime melancholy.

"Liren, have you finished? It's been an hour."

"Don't be impatient, Empress Dowager. I'm almost done."

"You said you'd bring me out to relax, and look what happened. This rain won't even let us leave the building. Sigh..."

The Empress Dowager had already been bored to death in the palace. Now that she had finally gotten a chance to go out, she could only sit in chilly Jade Resonance Tower, unable even to see the distant streets. She felt truly dispirited.

Dongfang Liren was considerate, however. As she painted the portrait, she gently consoled her.

"Once the rain stops, I'll take you to Jade Pool Manor, Empress Dowager. We can have a good soak in the hot springs. The scenery there is far better than here, perfect for relaxing."

"What good is beautiful scenery without anyone to keep me company? I'd still be a lone flower admiring its own fragrance."

The Empress Dowager plucked the zither strings, her gaze resting on the distant market streets beyond Jade Resonance Tower. She very much wanted to suggest that Prince Jing take her shopping on an "incognito inspection."

But hidden currents surged through court and country, and Dongfang Liren had already been ambushed by villains several times. Even if Dongfang Liren agreed, she could not bear responsibility for such an excursion. On reflection, she abandoned the idea.

After she had sat there for a long while, Dongfang Liren finally put down her brush. A lifelike portrait of a beauty sprang vividly from the paper.

The Empress Dowager rose, rubbed her aching legs, and approached to inspect it. Before she could offer her opinion, a maid's footsteps reached the doorway.

"Your Highness, Young Master Ye has arrived."

Having heard that morning that Wingless Owl had been brought to justice, Dongfang Liren had wanted to see Ye Jingtang. Now that he was here, she had no mind to keep the Empress Dowager company and immediately said:

"A bureau assistant handled a major case yesterday. I'll go meet him. Please rest here for now, Empress Dowager."

Knowing Dongfang Liren was busy with official affairs, the Empress Dowager did not detain her. After watching her leave, she wandered around the room alone, taking down scrolls from the shelves to examine them.

Dongfang Liren and the Empress had both studied under Perfected Person Xuanji. One excelled in the literary arts, the other in martial arts, and both had received her true teachings.

Dongfang Liren was quite accomplished in calligraphy and painting, and usually enjoyed painting the varied scenes of everyday life outside Jade Resonance Tower.

The Empress Dowager quietly admired the paintings. Soon, she picked up a brand-new scroll from the middle of the shelf. Unrolling it, she found a man depicted upon it.

The man wore black robes, with sword-like brows, star-bright eyes, and a commanding bearing. In his left hand, he held a long saber in a reverse grip, its blade resting against someone's neck. A fat owl stood on his shoulder, and the expressions of both man and bird had been rendered in exquisite detail.

"My, my~ what a handsome fellow..."

The Empress Dowager's almond-shaped eyes brightened slightly. She carried the portrait to the window and studied it carefully in the light.

The man in the painting had a distinctive air, both wild and chivalrous, yet still gentle and refined. He was pleasing to the eye from every angle, so handsome he hardly seemed real-as though he could only be a man in a painting, and no such flawless man could possibly exist in reality.

"Could this be Liren's imagined husband...?"

After considering it seriously for a moment, the Empress Dowager thought that quite likely. She silently teased Dongfang Liren a little, then prepared to put the portrait away.

Just then, there was some movement below Jade Resonance Tower.

The Empress Dowager looked down and saw two men emerging from the sprawling bureau. She recognized the scholar in blue robes leading the way: Shang Jianli, the Black Bureau's chief constable.

Behind him was a man dressed in black, his bearing neither servile nor overbearing, his steps neither hurried nor slow. He was far away, obscured by the curtain of rain, and she could only see his profile. Even so, his handsome air was evident from his bearing alone.

Hmm?

The Empress Dowager froze. She raised the portrait to inspect it, then looked at the distant man in black, then back at the portrait...

??

The flames of gossip slowly kindled in the Empress Dowager's eyes. Just as she was pondering their relationship, she noticed the handsome young man looking her way. Startled, she hurriedly stepped away from the window...