We didn't stay for the rest of the auction. Leaving Wanbaotong behind, we re-entered the Green District. I was busy reflecting on my own susceptibility to a pretty face when I saw Wei Qingming walk straight toward a stall and lift its heavy purple velvet curtain. With its own private entrance, this stall was unique among its peers.
Inside, the light was dim and the air thick with swirling incense smoke. Wen Gan sat with her back to us, deep in conversation with a woman. On the table before the woman sat a large, deep-purple crystal ball, surrounded by several brightly colored, ornate cards.
Seeing us enter, Wen Gan rose. "Fascinating, truly fascinating. Madame Mi, I shall return another day to seek your wisdom."
Struck by the unusual form of address, I stole a few glances at the woman. She was a foreigner with curly red hair and eyes as blue as ice. In the shadows, her eyes shimmered with a strange light, like a pair of ghostly feline embers. She gave us a slight nod in greeting. Though she clearly tried to articulate every word perfectly, her speech retained a foreign lilt—rising and falling like a song, which only added to her mysterious allure.
"Lord Wei, you have finally come to see me. Do you seek a divination?"
Wei Qingming cupped her hands. "Madame Milian, how is business? Perhaps another time for the divination."
"When will you finally agree to my proposal?" Madame Mi grinned, raising a thin, withered hand with long nails to point at Wen Gan. "Business is fair, but meeting this young friend made tonight worthwhile."
Wen Gan exclaimed in wonder, "Madame Mi’s divination arts are profound! That little sphere contains a myriad of worlds! And these Tarot cards..."
Wei Qingming’s intent was simply to bring the Wen sisters back to the manor. She had no desire for a long discussion and, before they could delve into the metaphysical, she smoothly cut the conversation short to bid farewell. Suddenly, Madame Mi turned her gaze toward me, her expression heavy with meaning. "This one bears a resemblance to Miss Wen. Is she also a daughter of the Wen House?"
I felt compelled to speak. "Hello, Madame Mi. I am Wen Qi, Wen Gan’s younger sister."
"Miss Qi, a pleasure." Madame Mi toyed with the crystal ball. White mist churned within it of its own accord, rising like mountain peaks and rolling like vast ocean waves. "Miss Qi is a person of the mountain forests, born of ice and snow, with a heart like a summer flower. You possess an extraordinary destiny. As for this journey to the capital..." She drew a vibrant card from the pile, held it between her fingers against her cheek, and said, "You carry a singular skill, or perhaps a world-shaking treasure..."
Unlike Wen Gan’s amateur attempts at fortune-telling, her words hit the mark almost perfectly. Masking my shock, I looked steadily at the card. I wasn't sure if Madame Mi was holding it upside down, but it depicted a woman in long robes hanging head-downward, surrounded by nine golden coins. Once she saw I had looked at the card, Madame Mi set it down and drew another, flicking it toward Wei Qingming. "As for you, Lord Wei, your fate has shifted imperceptibly... Perhaps I can help you resolve your current predicament..."
Wei Qingming reached out and caught the flying card deftly between two fingers. She gave it a cursory glance before pressing it face-down onto the black velvet tablecloth. "I thank the Madame for her kindness," she said simply. "But these are mere trifles; I can manage them myself." She completely ignored the offer to peer into the secrets of heaven.
That card also seemed to be reversed—an armored knight on a white horse holding a golden cup. It should have looked majestic, but seen upside down, it felt inexplicably eerie and discordant. I felt an ominous chill creep over my skin and shivered, feeling a growing dread toward this ghostly Madame Mi.
As if reading my thoughts, Madame Mi smiled radiantly again. "I just gave Miss Wen Gan a gift. Since Lord Wei and Miss Wen Qi are here as well, I cannot be remiss in my hospitality." She gave a soft call: "Bess."
The black backdrop stirred, and a slender black cat darted out. At the call, it leaped nimbly onto the table and took two objects from Madame Mi’s hand into its mouth. With another leap, it transformed in the blink of an eye into a young girl with her hair in twin buns. Grinning, she placed the two items into our hands. Mine was a cold, pure white polyhedral crystal, like a winter star. Wei Qingming’s was a small vial containing a red liquid—thick and clotted, looking like a mass of mangled flesh. It made me feel nauseous, but Wei Qingming tucked the vial into her robes with an unfazed expression, cupped her hands, and took her leave.
Wen Gan squeezed Madame Mi’s hand reluctantly before finally following us out.
I rushed out of the smoke-filled booth and took several deep breaths of clean air. My suspicions toward Madame Mi had only grown, but seeing that both Wei Qingming and Wen Gan treated her with respect, I forced myself to swallow my complaints. To change the subject, I asked, "Sister Gan, did you solve those fifty problems?"
"I did," Wen Gan said happily. "It took nearly an hour. Those last three variations from the *Zhui Shu* were truly difficult to calculate..."
"What treasure did the shopkeeper give you?"
"Speaking of that, I really must thank you, little sister." Wen Gan pulled out an old abacus with peeling black lacquer. "The shopkeeper offered three gifts, but none caught my eye. He said you had given him special instructions, and since I was the first to finish the fifty problems tonight, he had to grit his teeth and give me his most prized possession."
I turned the abacus over and over but couldn't see anything special about it. Wei Qingming smiled slightly. "It’s perfect for calculating horoscopes."
"Exactly!" Wen Gan clapped her hands in admiration. "As expected of Cousin Qingming. The shopkeeper said this was a treasure used by Ni Tian, the founder of the Wujing Sect and the National Master during the founding of Great Jing. Though it’s not the one he used for the Great Ancestor, it has calculated the fates of many princes and princesses..."
I shook my head inwardly. Every merchant in the world spun tall tales about their wares... Ni Tian was a master of the Star-Plucking Realm; when he passed, he was only one breakthrough away from the Moon-Embracing Realm. Why would such a man need an abacus for divination?
"Where are Sister Xiang and Fifth Brother?"
"I don't know," Wen Gan shook her head. "I was too busy with the problems. When I turned around, they were gone."
Wei Qingming had clearly received a report from her agents, but she feigned a guess. "Given their temperaments, since I told them the Black District was dangerous, they surely went there to investigate."
The Black District was a single, massive entity—essentially a giant gambling den. It housed hundreds of small tables where men with rolled-up sleeves and bloodshot eyes stared intensely at three small stones in the center of the tables. They shouted at the top of their lungs as if their entire lives depended on the outcome. Scantily clad gambling hostesses served wine and tea; amidst the roars of the gamblers betting high or low, their chirping voices occasionally drifted through the air. In the Green District, one could still see a few noblewomen in masks or ladies enjoying themselves with male companions, but once one entered the Black District, respectable women were nowhere to be found. Between bets, some gamblers looked us up and down through their masks. Wei Qingming and Hong Lu flanked Wen Gan and me, pushing aside those in our way as we headed straight for the largest arena in the center of the district.
While we were still a dozen paces away, the center was already packed tight. Over a hundred spectators stood in layers, shouting, "Get in there! Fight! Fight!" It was a prize fight. A ring had been set up in the middle, surrounded by a faint blue glow—likely a barrier to keep the fight from spilling out into the audience.
Without needing a word from Wei Qingming, Hong Lu shoved through the outermost layer of people. "Move, move! Out of the way!"
Naturally, someone took offense. "Who the hell are you shoving? Get to the back of the line!"
Hong Lu pointed toward the chairs on the blue side of the arena. "You don't know anything. That is our young mistress; she’s the banker for this match!"
I was shocked and looked over immediately. Sitting boldly in a chair, mask lifted as she munched on fruit, who else could it be but Wen Xiang...
Someone started to curse back, but several guards suddenly appeared out of thin air. They pressed the hilts of their blades against the man's chest, clearing a path for us. The man caught a glimpse of the insignia on the hilts, swallowed his insults, and could only huff in annoyance as he stepped aside.
Wei Qingming walked forward with her hands behind her back, not sparing a glance for anyone as she headed toward Wen Xiang. I followed close behind her, terrified, practically glued to her back for fear that a fight would break out below the stage before the one on it even started. Wen Gan, however, was quite at ease, cupping her hands to the crowd with a rogue-like flair. "Pardon us, excuse us, just passing through..."
Seeing Wei Qingming, Wen Xiang knew what she was going to say before she even opened her mouth. She propped one leg up on a footstool, took a pastry from a gambling den attendant, and said heroically, "Oh, Scholar Wei, don't be so quick to glare at me. I saw this big brother lose three matches in a row and lose his spirit, so I decided to act as his banker for one round to boost his morale."
Wei Qingming asked coolly, "How much did you wager?"
"Just five thousand spirit stones," Wen Xiang said, spreading her fingers. "All of it was earned by Old Gan tonight. Ill-gotten gains!"
Wen Gan, truly a bird of the same feather, wasn't angry. Instead, she fanned the flames. "Old Xiang, if that’s not enough to cover the losses, I’ll go swindle some more in a bit!"
I had assumed that prize fights involving human lives would involve wagers of tens of thousands of gold pieces. I hadn't expected these warriors to fight to the death for such a small amount of spirit stones; I couldn't help but feel a pang of pity. Hearing this, Wei Qingming said nothing more. Attendants quickly brought over soft chairs and refreshments, allowing the three of us to sit and watch the match.
"Where is Fifth Brother?" Wen Gan asked leisurely, waving her silk fan after sitting down.
Wen Xiang replied, "Where else? The Red District, of course. Boring. You can drink flowery wine any day, but a fight like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
I fell into a brief silence. It seemed the inner lives of these children of great families were actually quite decadent...
The clerk responsible for collecting bets shouted, "Wagers are closed! The match is about to begin!"
The banker for the Red side was a man dressed as a wealthy merchant wearing a Green Ox mask. As the challenger, their warrior appeared first. He was even larger than the gladiators I had imagined, wearing a crude clay demon mask. Bare-chested and wearing a red belt, he stepped onto the stage, each stride shaking the floor.
The crowd erupted in cheers, clamoring for the Blue side to enter. A lean, muscular man walked slowly from the back. He wore a wooden tiger mask and had a steady stance; one could tell at a glance he was a trained martial artist. Compared to the blustering aura of the "Fat Demon," this "Tiger Mask" seemed far too restrained. Moreover, his snow-white muscles were covered in bruises, and a bandage even wrapped across his chest. Clearly, he had suffered a string of losses tonight and was heavily injured.
Hong Lu sighed, half in pity and half in explanation. "That is the 'Wooden Tiger,' once famous in the rings. He’s been retired for several years and came back for this night banquet, but it seems he’s at the end of his rope. He’s not the man he used to be..." From his words, I understood. With Wooden Tiger's reputation, his banker’s stake should have been far more than five thousand spirit stones—fifty thousand wouldn't have been surprising. It was only because he had lost three matches in a row that no one would bet on him. If not for Wen Xiang’s "chivalry," he likely wouldn't have even been allowed on the stage again.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 弥夫人 (Mí Fūrén) | Madame Mi | A foreign diviner in the Green District. |
| 弥莲 (Mílián) | Milian | Madame Mi's full name. |
| 塔罗牌 (Tǎluópái) | Tarot cards | Western-style divination cards used by Madame Mi. |
| 琲丝 (Bèisī) | Bess | Madame Mi's cat/assistant who can transform into a girl. |
| 《缀术》 (Zhuì Shù) | Zhui Shu | An ancient Chinese mathematical text (Method of Interpolation). |
| 无竟宗 (Wújìng Zōng) | Wujing Sect | An ancient sect mentioned in the lore. |
| 倪天 (Ní Tiān) | Ni Tian | The founder of the Wujing Sect and a legendary National Master. |
| 摘星境 (Zhāixīng Jìng) | Star-Plucking Realm | A high level of cultivation. |
| 抱月境 (Bàoyuè Jìng) | Moon-Embracing Realm | A legendary high level of cultivation. |
| 皂区 (Zào Qū) | Black District | The gambling and fighting district (Zao can mean black). |
| 堵伎 (Dǔjì) | Gambling hostesses | Women who serve and entertain in the gambling dens. |
| 木虎 (Mù Hǔ) | Wooden Tiger | The stage name of the lean fighter in the arena. |
| 灵石 (Língshí) | Spirit stones | The currency used by cultivators. |
| 红区 (Hóng Qū) | Red District | The pleasure/entertainment district. |
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