Chapter 5: Wen Ci

"Wen Ci?" Yun Chuan repeated.

"I don't know if she's from the Western Regions, the Miao frontier, or some far-off land in the East. Uncle Zhuang spent a fortune to bring her to Zhaiyue Tower for the Alliance meeting. They say she has a terrible temper—even harder to deal with than me. Together, we're known as the 'Twin Terrors' of Zhaiyue Tower."

Xie Yuzhu rolled over on the bed. "I saw her yesterday, and she lives up to the reputation. She performed three parts of the twelve-act fan dance, then declared she wasn't in the mood and just walked off. No one could stop her, and Uncle Zhuang was so furious his face turned black and blue. I've been struggling with playing the role of the spoiled and arrogant one lately; I really need to learn from her."

"Is she beautiful?"

"Beautiful? I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful it’s deadly—truly deadly! I feel like anyone who stays with her won't live long. I don't know which would kill you faster: dying of a heart attack from her beauty, dying of rage from her temper, or being killed by someone jealous enough to try and steal her away. Anyway, she's a performer in the tower, so it should be easy for you to find her."

After rattling this off, Xie Yuzhu rolled over again, burying her face in the bedding. Her voice came out muffled: "Sister Yun Chuan, wait another hour before you go out. Tell them you've been kneeling the whole time. Walk slowly, limp a little—make it look convincing."

When Yun Chuan stepped out of the room following Xie Yuzhu's instructions, she was met with sympathetic gazes from all directions. Many came to greet her, sighing at the sight of the bloodstains and bruises on her, handing her fresh clothes, and urging her to go to the backyard for a hot bath to warm up. Even Uncle Zhuang didn't say a word of reproach.

—There is a saying: those with the same desires hate each other, while those with the same sorrows are drawn to one another. Sigh, you probably don't understand, but just do as I say.

That was what Xie Yuzhu had said while buried in her blankets.

So, as Yun Chuan looked at the suddenly tender people around her, she opened her mouth, then closed it again.

She truly did not understand.

However, she was quite accustomed to such confusing situations. After enjoying the special treatment, she washed up, changed into clean clothes, draped a cloak over her shoulders, and set off to find the beauty Xie Yuzhu had spoken of: Wen Ci.

As Ah Fu, a servant at Zhaiyue Tower, was carrying a jar of wine toward the lobby, he heard the waiter De Wang mention that Yun Chuan, the "dullard" who never cared for anything outside her own world, was asking everyone about Miss Wen Ci.

"It’s no wonder Yun Chuan has been so miserable lately! She provokes all the difficult people. Just after bothering the Sixth Miss, she goes and bothers Wen Ci. Does she want to offend both of Zhaiyue Tower’s 'Twin Terrors'?" De Wang leaned against the railing, shaking his head.

Upon hearing this, Ah Fu set down the wine jar and cried out, "That dullard is bothering Wen Ci? Can she be any more miserable than me? Uncle Zhuang assigned me to serve the great ancestor Wen. If she provokes Wen Ci, won't I be the one cleaning up the mess? Where is she?"

Ah Fu was too late. By now, Yun Chuan had already found the legendary greatest beauty of Fujiang—Wen Ci.

Or, to be precise, she had found one of Wen Ci’s arms.

Yun Chuan was standing on the stairs between the fourth and fifth floors, looking up. A pale, translucent arm was stretched across the gap in the fifth-floor railing, suspended over the staircase.

The fingers hung naturally—thin and slender, with a gold ring on the middle finger. A fine gold chain connected the ring to a bracelet, with colorful bells dangling from it, perfectly still.

The morning sun of spring spilled onto the back of the hand; the skin, the ring, the bells, and the bracelet shimmered like the ripples on a lake.

Yun Chuan walked up slowly. As the top floor came into view, the face of the beauty lying on the floor gradually emerged. A winter jasmine flower was pinned in her hair. She was pillowing her head on one arm, her face buried in the layers of her saffron-colored gauze sleeves, her hand extended beyond the railing. The pose was elegant, but the beauty’s eyes were closed, silent and motionless, as if she were sleeping inside a painting.

Yun Chuan studied her for a moment and concluded:

It was the same beauty from last night. She seemed even more beautiful in the daylight. However, she was unconscious on the floor, which was very dangerous.

Ah Fu rushed up to the fourth floor and saw Yun Chuan standing on the stairs. Thinking he had caught up in time, he wiped sweat from his brow and prepared to call her down, but Yun Chuan slipped up to the next floor.

He cursed to himself and scrambled after her. He saw the sleeping Miss Wen on the floor, with Yun Chuan pouncing on her, pinching her philtrum, pushing her, and shouting, "Wake up! Wake up!"

Ah Fu’s breath hitched; he nearly fainted.

This was Wen the Beauty, one of the Twin Terrors of Zhaiyue Tower!

And it was Wen the Beauty in the daytime! She was in a foul mood during the day, drowsy and prone to sleeping wherever she stood. If anyone dared to wake her, it was like digging up her ancestors—you’d be met with a torrent of abuse! She only became spirited and peaceful at night; she was a literal night owl!

And now, one of Zhaiyue Tower's greatest oddities, the "Night Owl," was being shaken vigorously by the other, the "Dullard." This was a disaster!

"Ancestor, please, stop shaking her! She’s not fainting, she’s just sleeping!" Ah Fu wailed. Before the words were even out of his mouth, the beauty opened her eyes with a dark, gloomy expression.

Yun Chuan stopped shaking her and said with relief, "Are you awake?"

The beauty’s eyes were bloodshot, and a sense of irritability radiated from her that could have blown the roof off. She gritted her teeth and hissed, "Are you insane?"

Wen the Beauty had seen through Yun Chuan’s mental state at a glance; she truly had sharp eyes. Realizing the situation was beyond saving, Ah Fu immediately fell silent to avoid being caught in the crossfire, slowly backing away and sneaking downstairs.

Still worried, he hid on the stairs and stretched his neck to eavesdrop.

There was no one else on the top floor. Sunlight poured in from the surrounding windows. Yun Chuan held Wen Ci’s shoulders, her own white hair shimmering in the light like a winter storm.

She looked at her with bright eyes, leaning in to see her clearly. "You know me, don't you?"

Wen Ci stared at Yun Chuan coldly, saying nothing. The flower mark on the beauty’s forehead and the cinnabar at the corners of her eyes made her bright pupils shine even more brilliantly than the morning sun. Her magnificent makeup was completely overshadowed by her bone structure, devoid of any vulgarity, possessing only a noble air. Because of this sharp, regal quality, she looked unapproachable.

The beauty said indifferently, "I don't know you."

"We met yesterday."

"Yesterday? Did we? You must be dreaming."

"It wasn't a dream. By the orange tree. Have you forgotten?"

"I forgot?" A hint of a smile touched Wen Ci’s lips, though it looked more like she was gritting her teeth. She shoved Yun Chuan’s hand off her shoulder and stood up, ready to leave. Yun Chuan immediately blocked the stairs.

Wen Ci narrowed her eyes. "Who do you think you are to block my path?"

Yun Chuan, oblivious to the sarcasm, replied with innocent persistence, "Yes, that is exactly what I wanted to ask. Who am I?"

Wen Ci looked at her in silence, then shifted her gaze past Yun Chuan’s shoulder. Below on the stairs, Ah Fu was scrubbing a section of the railing, occasionally glancing at them. Further away, many disciples from the immortal sects were moving about the building, while strange guests discussed the Dream Master Alliance meeting, and servants shouted to one another.

Yun Chuan stood right next to this peaceful, warm scene, completely unaware of the danger lurking within.

Danger that was specifically directed at her.

No wonder this person hadn't left the mountain for decades; with her temperament, even in her prime, she would have invited trouble wherever she went.

Wen Ci tilted her head, a mocking smile on her face. "You don't even know who you are, and you think you’re worthy of speaking to me? Do you know that people outside must pay a thousand pieces of silver just to speak a word to me? And those inside must serve me and be at my beck and call. Which one are you?"

"Neither," Yun Chuan replied quickly.

Wen Ci said, enunciating each word, "Then get lost."

Their conversation ended there. Ah Fu, eyes fixed on his own nose, heard the heavy footsteps descending the stairs. He snuck a glance and saw Wen Ci walking away. He let out a sigh of relief, but then became puzzled: the beauty had clearly told Yun Chuan to get lost, so why was she the one who walked away?

And why did her voice sound like a man's just now? Had she slept until she lost her voice?

He turned around and looked up. Yun Chuan was still standing at the top of the stairs, looking thoughtful. Ah Fu grabbed his rag and ran up the stairs. "What kind of strange things were you asking? Don't look for Wen Ci when you're acting crazy! She’s not someone to be trifled with. Her just mocking you and walking away is a sign of mercy—thank your lucky stars!"

If it were anyone else who had woken her during the day and asked a string of nonsensical questions, Wen Ci wouldn't have stopped until she had shamed them into the ground. It was truly strange that she hadn't lost her temper this time.

Yun Chuan asked Ah Fu, "Do you think I could serve Wen Ci?"

"...Are you bewitched by her beauty? Do you have a death wish?" Ah Fu looked devastated. He grabbed her arm and started pulling her down. "Let's go, let's go. Don't stand here. The Daoists have already instructed us not to come to the top floor unless necessary."

"Why?"

Ah Fu pointed to a thick, carved pear-wood board in the center of the top floor. "The Dream Masters keep their treasures here. They’re holding a competition for their dream arts to choose an Alliance Leader. They drew lots yesterday to form pairs, and the names are hanging on this board."

"What’s the point of these plaques?" Yun Chuan asked, following his gaze.

"Oh, the competition works like this: whoever loses has their plaque fall off. The winner moves up to face the winner of another pair. Whichever plaque reaches the top of the carved board becomes the Alliance Leader. The gilded bead at the top of the tower will fall into the winner's hand as a prize, a token for the new Alliance Leader of the Dream Masters."

Yun Chuan let Ah Fu drag her downstairs, and the blurred board vanished from her sight as he continued his explanation. Ah Fu gave her a long, earnest lecture, listing all of Wen Ci's terrible deeds and telling her to stay away and avoid bad luck. Yun Chuan listened quietly, without a single word of rebuttal.

Ah Fu, thinking the "dullard" had been distracted and his mission accomplished, hummed a tune and walked away, feeling satisfied. Once he was gone, Yun Chuan took the silver note Xie Yuzhu had given her out of her sleeve and examined it.

It was five hundred taels of silver.

Five hundred more to go.

Yun Chuan pondered for a moment, tucked the note back into her sleeve, and returned to Xie Yuzhu's room.

The girl was still lying listlessly on the bed, in the exact same position as when Yun Chuan had left. Yun Chuan sat on the edge of the bed.

"Is there anything you want?" Yun Chuan asked, getting straight to the point.

Xie Yuzhu recognized Yun Chuan’s voice and gave a muffled grunt. "I want freedom."

Yun Chuan glanced at her own broken bracelet. It would take two more days to repair, and it might not be ready in time for when Uncle Zhuang sent Xie Yuzhu away.