As I arranged the food, I reflected on the information I had gathered over the past few days from Wen Xiang, Muyu, and the others. First, I had asked Muyu and the maids about the Yingzhao Temple. Their faces had instantly paled with terror.
"Why would My Lady mention such a place?" they whispered. "Though it is an official bureau, they specialize in surveillance and espionage. They are nothing but a pack of mad dogs that bite anyone they see."
Zhaoyun, whose family had fallen into ruin and slavery after being raided by the Yingzhao Temple, spoke not with resentment, but with pure dread. "Their powers reach the heavens; their eyes and ears are everywhere. My grandfather was implicated simply because he said one wrong word at a banquet..."
Qingchen, the most well-read among them, was more composed. "The rumors in the streets make the Yingzhao Temple sound far more mysterious than it is. In truth, they simply do the Emperor’s bidding. They take orders only from the Emperor and the Head Eunuch, handling the unsavory matters that the Three Judicial Ministries find difficult to touch."
Even a hardened bandit like Duan Jianbai had knelt in submission without a word upon seeing Wei Qingming. Yet, I felt that the things Wei Qingming did were not at all as insidious or despicable as they described.
"I see," I murmured. "Yingzhao was originally a divine beast that guarded the Heavenly Emperor's garden. The name is quite fitting, then."
I had also asked Wen Xiang and Wen Shu about Wei Qingming’s history with the Wujing Sect. I knew of the Wujing Sect; as one of the martial sects that had assisted the founding emperor of Great Jing in conquering the land, they had long since transcended the mundane martial world. For a thousand years, they had remained closely tied to the government, standing as the most prominent Daoist sect. The Tianjun Sect, which also claimed to be the world's number one, only had three or five hundred years of history—their foundation was far shallower. The Wujing Sect specialized in arrays, talismans, and feng shui. The massive imperial mausoleums on Mount Lengquan had been planned by the sect’s founder, Ni Tian, and took three hundred years to take shape.
While entering the Wujing Sect was considered a bright path, this dynasty was unlike the Shiying Kingdom to the north, which prized martial aggression. Children of true noble families had no need to learn magic. Using pills to reach the Smoke-Rising Realm to secure a lifespan of about three hundred years was usually their ultimate goal. Many remained in the Qi Refinement Realm their entire lives, living a century before passing away peacefully—a pleasant enough existence. Matters of fighting and killing were left to the family’s retainers and house guests. The Wei family were descendants of founding ministers; wouldn't it be beneath Wei Qingming to go out and clash blades with others?
Wen Xiang couldn't explain it clearly either. She only said, "Qingming stayed with our family for three years before requesting to go to the Wujing Sect. At the time, my mother and Second Uncle wouldn't agree. It was only when Third Uncle said he saw that the child’s ambitions were extraordinary that Grandfather and Grandmother finally nodded their consent. My mother said she had already found a place for Qingming at the Lianshan Academy right next to the Wujing Sect. She wanted him to follow in Sixth Brother’s footsteps—to study hard and become a high official. She was furious about it for a long time."
Wen Shu knew Wei Qingming belonged to the Yingzhao Temple. She naturally didn't realize I had eavesdropped back then, and she wouldn't share such a secret with Wen Xiang. Instead, her perspective was broader. "Though entering a Daoist sect means not entering the imperial court, it doesn't mean one cannot serve the country. Besides, being an official isn't necessarily the best path. Learning skills at the Wujing Sect allows one to roam the wide world; that is also a good thing."
"I'm actually quite envious. If a Daoist sect would take me, I'd go too!" Wen Xiang added. "Or I'd go join the army like Fifth Brother. Anything is better than spinning in small circles in the capital for a lifetime!" The three of them nodded in agreement.
After we had spent some time imagining the world outside, Wen Shu hesitated before finally saying, "Actually, back then, I felt that my cousin insisted on leaving because he couldn't bear the rumors circulating in the capital."
"What rumors?"
Wen Shu’s eyes dimmed. She whispered, "It is said that the massacre of Vice Minister Wei Che’s entire household was caused by his only surviving eldest son."
***
The food boxes were enchanted with spatial magic; their internal space was much larger than they appeared, and they were insulated to keep the food as delicious as if it were fresh from the stove. I greedily pinched a pastry and stuffed it into my mouth, finally feeling the fatigue of standing all morning vanish. The meals Muyu and the others had prepared were exquisite and beautiful, befitting the Wen family’s status. I feasted heartily.
Wei Qingming smoothed her robes and sat cross-legged on the blanket, her posture straight and upright—entirely different from the slouching young lords surrounding themselves with beauties. She looked exceptionally dashing. I crawled over and handed her an osmanthus apricot powder cake. She looked down at it, hesitated for a moment, and then took a bite from my hand. She chewed, swallowed with some effort, and frowned.
"You don't like it?" I asked.
"Too sweet." She raised her tea cup and took a somewhat hurried sip.
I let out a long, playful "Hmph," and Wei Qingming said, "Why don't you try mine?"
She clapped her hands. The lid of the black-lacquered food box, adorned with gold, gave a thudding wiggle. A small green sprite emerged, surrounded by wood-attribute spiritual energy. It was vibrant green and incredibly cute. It clumsily stuck its bottom out and tried to heave the lid open but couldn't lift it. It wasn't until two more companions crawled out that they managed to flip the lid open together.
One by one, the little green men filed out, carrying boxes of food of various sizes on their heads. Some contained soups and sauces, causing the sprites to wobble as they walked. Wei Qingming raised an eyebrow and gave them a mock-serious warning with a pointed finger, as if to say she’d have their heads if they spilled a drop. Terrified, they took even smaller steps, inching toward us. Wei Qingming finally gave a warm smile and flicked a golden light from her hand, which supported the soup tureen and set it down steadily.
The little green men chirped in celebration, busily shifting a plate here and straightening a bowl there before standing in a neat row, waiting for Wei Qingming to speak.
Wei Qingming smiled. "Go on. I'll call you when I need you." The sprites raised their hands in joy and quickly vanished into the grass and branches.
I watched with total satisfaction, clapping my hands. "Are those wood spirits?"
"Yes," Wei Qingming said, her expression tender. "The life-giving energy of wood is beneficial for healing, so I keep this group of little wood spirits with me year-round."
I caught the implication that she was "injured year-round" from her words, and my heart ached. Wei Qingming, thinking I was feeling a sense of kinship as a fellow member of the demon race, comforted me. "I let them roam free when there's nothing to do. Besides, the cultivation method I practice is beneficial to plants and trees."
"I heard from Senior Brother Feng that it's a very powerful technique related to the sun?"
Wei Qingming laughed. "Senior Brother Feng is exaggerating again. It's just that no one has studied it for the last two or three hundred years. It's not just the sun; it actually involves both the sun and the moon."
"The sun and the moon?"
"Yes. The essence of moonlight is essentially from the same source as sunlight; they are simply the positive and negative reflections of each other."
I thought of the silver light she had used to shield the Nether Spring Flower. "The power you used at the Nether Spring Flower... was that the power of the moon?"
"Miss Su is truly clever," Wei Qingming smiled. "Moonlight is delicate and has a greater affinity with nether energy. Eat quickly, before it gets cold." She picked up a small bowl of fish balls. "The day we first met, you wanted these but didn't get to eat them. I ordered them from Haida Restaurant. They might not be as good as the Wen family's chef."
I couldn't wait and speared one with my chopsticks, stuffing it into my mouth. Before Wei Qingming could say "watch out for the broth," I bit down, and the soup squirted everywhere. We looked at each other and laughed. I hurriedly looked down at my clothes and patted my chest. "Scared me to death. Thank goodness I didn't stain my thirty thousand spirit stones."
"What?"
I waved my hands frantically. "Nothing, nothing!"
Wei Qingming handed me a handkerchief. I wiped my mouth and rolled up my sleeves to continue eating. From time to time, Wei Qingming would place a piece of this or a spoonful of that for me. I ate the dishes in the order she suggested, and indeed, the flavors were doubly wonderful. I couldn't help but admire the refined taste of a noble scion. She herself rarely ate anything seriously, merely taking a taste before setting it down, focusing mainly on the wine.
"I want some too!"
Wei Qingming claimed the wine was too strong and didn't want to give me any. Unable to withstand my pestering, she took a tiny green jade cup and poured about a finger's width for me to sip. Before I could even get my head close, the scent of the alcohol made me sneeze. I licked it, found it stinging and sharp, and stopped drinking. "Strange. Wasn't the fruit wine we had last time very delicious?"
Wei Qingming smiled but didn't answer. Only later did I learn that the "wine" from before was just sugar water for children, carrying the name of wine in name only...
Seeing that half of the dozen or so dishes remained untouched, I said, "I feel like I've never seen you eat a proper meal."
Wei Qingming said calmly, "Appetite and lust are obstacles to cultivation. I stopped eating once I entered the Wujing Sect. Wine and tea are the essence of spiritual energy, so those are fine."
"Who said that! I clearly saw Senior Brother Feng gnawing on a rabbit leg that night!" I cried. "And spicy rabbit heads! He ate a whole bag of them!"
"That is why he cannot defeat me," Wei Qingming smiled.
I shuddered as if feeling a chill. "I guess you don't sleep either? You replace sleep with meditation?"
"More or less."
"Hmph!" I covered my nose, looking at her with feigned disgust. "If you were like this back at my Goumeng Mountain, you'd be completely isolated..."
I rummaged through my food box and found a blue flambé glazed porcelain soup tureen, which I handed to her. "Muyu probably prepared this for you."
Wei Qingming opened it and smiled. "She is truly thoughtful. She likely asked the old servants who used to wait on me about what I liked as a child."
I leaned over to look—Hibiscus Snow-Skirt Soup.
The name was beautiful, but it was just snow lotus seeds and bamboo fungus stewed together. There wasn't even a single piece of meat...
I pulled back in disappointment, but Wei Qingming was very gracious and slowly finished it all. As we leisurely packed up, she said seemingly casually, "In a few days, if anyone asks you about that night, just say what we agreed upon before. It will be fine."
I heard her, but I didn't take it to heart at the time. After lingering at the villa for two more days, the whole family set off to return to the Wen residence in the city.
The next day, while I was happily reading a storybook at Wen Xiang’s place, a maid ran in nervously. "Miss Qi, the Master says he has a matter to discuss and requests your presence in the main hall."
"What is my father up to now? Can't he just say it anywhere?" Wen Xiang wondered.
Before she could finish, Madam Shui entered, leading Guo Li, one of the Wen manor’s head stewards. Both had solemn expressions. I realized something must have happened, likely regarding the night at Zhong He’s tomb. I stood up calmly, nodding slightly in respect.
Steward Guo waved his hands hurriedly. "Eighteenth Miss, there is no need for that. It is just a small matter of questioning. It won't take long."
Steward Guo walked ahead with his hands behind his back, not moving too quickly. After walking for a while and seeing no one around, he turned back to ask me, "The night you fell into the tomb... was there someone else with you?"
I grew alert and hesitated. Before I could speak, Steward Guo sighed. "Do not be flustered in a moment, Miss. But it would be best to tell the truth."
