Since I had given her the medicine, I felt a certain level of responsibility. I couldn't help but worry about Wei Qingming’s injury, so I snuck out a few times to visit her at her home.
During my first visit, Wei Qingming was sitting alone in the courtyard reading a book. A robe was draped loosely over her shoulders, leaving her right arm exposed. It was covered in medicine, topped with a layer of powder made from ground beast bone that had hardened into a thin shell to help set the injury.
"Hah!" I shouted, leaping down from the eaves.
Wei Qingming spared me a glance, her brow furrowing. "You’re far too bold. If I hadn't opened the restrictions to let you in, you would have been burned to ash by now."
I stuck out my tongue and reached for her arm. "I just came to see if you were better."
Though Wei Qingming’s arm was slender and strong, it was still the flesh and bone of a girl—smooth and supple to the touch. The scent of her incense mingled with the medicinal fragrance, creating an incredibly pleasant aroma. Seeing me huddled over her arm like a cat, sniffing away, Wei Qingming initially moved to pull her hand back but then hesitated. She feigned composure, picked up her book, and turned a page.
"What kind of body-tempering method does your sect use?" I asked in surprise. "It feels so sturdy, probably harder than stone. How did you even get hurt?" As I spoke, I reached up to touch her face. "It seems like it makes your skin better, too... Wait, your face is burning!"
"Mm," Wei Qingming said tonelessly. "I was poisoned. I’ve had a slight fever these past few days."
The Wei residence was truly desolate. Though the rooms were large, they were poorly maintained. In the entire sprawling estate, the only person to be seen was the young servant, Hong Lu; there wasn't even a personal maid in sight. I knew she stayed here to avoid the prying eyes of the Wen household, but I still said, "Having only Hong Lu is too inconvenient. How about I send Muyu over to serve you?"
"No need. I’m used to it." Wei Qingming’s tone was cold and distant, as if she harbored a deep-seated distrust of others.
Having lived in the Wen household for over ten days, I had overheard some gossip regarding the Wei family. The Weis were among the founding contributors of the empire and had remained standing through several generations of monarchs. They specialized in the "Way of the Mean"—the middle path. For the past century, no one from the Wei family had held an office higher than the third rank. While they appeared to be in gradual decline, none of the nobles in the capital dared to look down on them. Wei Qingming’s mother was the youngest daughter of the Wen family, and she had married the most talented son of the Wei family, Wei Che. They had one son and two daughters; Wei Qingming was the eldest "son." The Wei family did not practice multi-generational cohabitation; once a son married, he would establish his own household, leading a carefree and happy life. However, ten years ago, Wei Qingming’s parents and her two siblings suddenly vanished. Their whereabouts remained unknown to this day. Wei Qingming had only escaped that fate because she had been recovering from an illness at the Wei family’s ancestral home.
The Wei family was emotionally distant. Although the brothers all served as officials in the imperial court, they rarely associated with one another. It was Old Lady Wen, aching for her grandson, who had taken the initiative to bring Wei Qingming back to the Wen residence to be raised. In truth, Wen Qi and Wei Qingming had only spent less than a year together as children before she fell in love with this "cousin." If she knew Wei Qingming was actually a woman... Then again, what were Wei Qingming’s parents thinking, making their daughter grow up disguised as a boy? And if Wen Qi loved her cousin so much, why was she refusing to marry him now?
Wei Qingming knew that given my temperament, she couldn't stop me from coming, so she simply gave me a Wei family jade pendant. This way, I wouldn't be harmed by the defensive arrays. After a few trips back and forth, I had explored every corner of her house. Whenever the First Madam wasn't looking for me, I spent most of my time running over there to play.
As the Qingming Festival approached, a refreshing "Pure Rain" finally fell over the capital, sweeping away the foul miasma. The sky turned clear and translucent, lifting one's spirits. I hopped happily into Wei Qingming’s room, calling out, "The weather’s cleared up! Your injury should be healed by now, right?"
"Almost." Wei Qingming set down her brush and flexed her right arm with a slight stiffness.
Every time I came, I found her working hard—either reading, drawing talismans, or practicing hand seals. That’s right; even with only one functional hand, she was still practicing. On Mount Gomeng, aside from my honest Fourth Senior Brother, not a single person was even half as diligent as her. Although Eldest Senior Brother was talented and hardworking, he had been managing the mountain’s affairs for the past few years, and his time for cultivation was limited by tedious chores.
"Studying again?" I exclaimed. "Are the masters of your Wujing Sect really that strict?"
She gave a faint smile. "Now that you’re here, I naturally won't study anymore."
Hong Lu brought in some snacks and chuckled. "It’s not just my master who looks forward to your visits, Miss; I do too. When the master is working hard, not a single sound is allowed in the house."
"That terrifying? Well, it’s a good thing you won't be able to study even if you want to soon!"
"Hm, I suppose it’s time to go to the Official Tombs for the ancestral rites."
I deflated. "You already knew. How boring."
Wei Qingming said, "It is rare for all the children and grandchildren of the Wen family to gather like this; the ceremony will surely be grand. The Wei clan doesn't place much stock in such things. Every year, only one branch performs the main rites, and there are no requirements for the others."
"Then you aren't going?"
"If you want me to go, I will go." Wei Qingming performed a one-handed seal. Palm-sized blue orchids bloomed in the air, drifting and dissipating like fireworks. I reached out to touch one, and the orchid suddenly erupted with a brilliant light, crackling loudly. The sparks hit my hand, sending a sharp, stinging burn through my skin.
"This spell is beautiful, but what does it do?" I asked, shaking my hand in pain.
"It is a decomposition technique. Its essence is the power to shatter space. As long as there is a corresponding spiritual energy to act as a catalyst, it can destroy anything."
I clicked my tongue in awe. "That’s incredible. If I learned that, wouldn't I be invincible?"
Wei Qingming replied, "I could teach it to you, but with my current cultivation, I can only release a few small blossoms. As for you, Miss Su..."
Refusing to accept defeat, I practiced the incantation she taught me several times. Even though she personally confirmed my hand seals were flawless, I couldn't even release a single spark. Wei Qingming laughed. "This is an ancient method I recently acquired. It consumes a massive amount of spiritual energy for a very weak effect. It’s quite impractical against an enemy; there’s no harm in not learning it."
My interests always came and went quickly. Before long, I was chatting about something else. After all, failing at my studies wasn't exactly a new experience...
The tombs of the capital’s noble families were concentrated in the northeastern outskirts, nearly covering the entirety of Lengquan Mountain. They were called "Official Tombs" because the burials of official families were subject to strict regulations. Depending on their rank, the family of the deceased was required to bury a certain number of spiritual treasures alongside them, witnessed by the government. Wealthy merchant families whose assets reached a certain scale were held to similar requirements. The funerals of emperors, consorts, princes, and princesses even featured specialized ceremonies to destroy the funerary goods, with the public invited to watch. As time passed, the spiritual energy of the treasures buried deep underground would dissipate into the earth. Only in this way could new spiritual wonders of heaven and earth grow, providing resources for future generations to survive.
Originally, cultivators did not care for clans; they did not revere ancestors, only the strong. Treasures were usually passed down to descendants or disciples, and excavating an ancestor’s grotto to search for treasures was common practice. Some artifacts became increasingly powerful as they were passed through generations, accumulating more and more spiritual energy. Finally, over a thousand years ago, the spiritual energy of the world became severely depleted. Cultivators could no longer survive on their own power and became increasingly dependent on artifacts. This eventually led to the creation of several massive artifacts that far surpassed all other powers. After these artifacts were destroyed along with the great factions that fought over them, the world finally found peace. The Great Jing Dynasty was born after this era. Consequently, the current dynasty placed the highest importance on maintaining the cycle of spiritual energy and controlling the accumulation of wealth by the great families. Various ceremonies related to burials became significant events for every household.
As a demon, I didn't technically need to follow human laws, and we had no such rules in the Myriad Demon Stockade. A demon spends their life cultivating their own body; when they die, their path ends, and their spiritual energy naturally returns to heaven and earth. Furthermore, I was only pretending to be a member of the Wen family. If I performed the rites for Wen Qi’s ancestors, I didn't personally mind, but I wondered what the Wen ancestors would think...
I had intended to send a letter to my benefactor, Fourth Master Wen, to ask about this. The trouble was that his movements were unpredictable, and I didn't know how to contact him. Plus, he had already instructed me that he would definitely arrive before the Qingming Festival, so a letter seemed unnecessary. With the festival only three days away and Fourth Master Wen still nowhere to be seen, I decided to just drift along. If he really didn't show up, performing the ancestral rites for my employer would just be part of the excellent service provided by Mount Gomeng...
One must wear plain, simple colors during the Qingming period. That day, Muyu brought several sets of newly made clothes for me to try on. While the room was full of people busily preparing luggage, a servant from the First Madam’s courtyard arrived to report: "The Fourth Master has returned."
I quickly reviewed Wen Qi’s memories and headed toward Old Lady Wen’s courtyard. I had seen the Old Lady quite often over the past half-month—the Wen family custom was for one branch of the family to accompany the matriarch for dinner each night. Since I was temporarily counted as part of the first branch, I had joined them for several meals.
Fourth Master Wen sat in the hall, sipping tea and joking with his mother. He still retained a bit of that absent-minded air he had while painting, which gave him a surprisingly innocent and likable quality. I first pretended to be overcome with emotion, naturally calling out "A-da," then followed up with a proper bow and greeting, addressing him as "Father."
Fourth Master Wen was far more awkward than I was. His hands shook with embarrassment, and he didn't know what to say to me. I muddled through the visit in Old Lady Wen’s room for a while before finding a suitable moment to slip away.
Before leaving the courtyard, I overheard the mother and son discussing Wen Qi’s marriage. Old Lady Wen doted on her grandson and dearly wanted Wen Qi and Wei Qingming to marry early so she could look after them right under her nose. Fourth Master Wen couldn't find a reason to object on the spot. He fumbled for words for a long time, eventually only managing to say, "Qi'er is still young..."
Sigh. If only Wei Qingming weren't a "fake" cousin, I would have agreed on Wen Qi’s behalf. When the time came, I’d just have the real Wen Qi come back and bow to heaven and earth—how much simpler would that be!
On the morning of our departure for Lengquan Mountain, the main roads of the capital were already congested. Although the Wen family had planned to avoid the first day of the festival, many other families had the same idea, and we still couldn't escape the traffic. I shared a carriage with Wen Xiang and Wen Shu, all of us leaning against the walls of the carriage in a daze.
Wen Shu was the same age as me, born to a concubine of the First Master. She was truly beautiful, but her mind was too meticulous, spending far too much effort on social maneuvering. Dealing with people like that was exhausting, so I usually had almost no contact with her. Today, she wore a moon-white dress with a bamboo leaf pattern. Even just leaning against the carriage cushions for a nap, she was a sight to behold.
I had seen plenty of beauties back on the mountain—my senior and junior sisters each had their own unique charms—and although I would never admit it to her face, Master was the greatest beauty of all. Since arriving in the capital, the maids I saw every day were all worthy of the Wen residence’s status; if they weren't pretty, they wouldn't have made it through the door. Even so, seeing Wen Shu still made me marvel at her beauty in my heart.
After a good sleep, I woke up just as we were arriving. Wen Xiang and Wen Shu were playing a game of "Immortal Chess." It was a personified chess game where each side held twelve pieces, each representing a figure from ancient legend. The most famous pieces were the four artifacts that countered each other during the Great Apocalypse: the Shoushan Sword, the Myriad Demon Bone, the Six Paths Reincarnation Mirror, and the Map of a Thousand Truths and Illusions, as well as the "Fifth Artifact," the Eclipse Dragon Cauldron. Wen Xiang played with focus, but Wen Shu was distracted, frequently looking out the window.
At this moment, the line of carriages drew a rainbow bridge across the sky. The female relatives and the titled gentlemen naturally sat inside the carriages, but many youths rode heavenly horses or other flying beasts. Even some girls with good horsemanship wore riding habits and galloped among them on heavenly horses, their voices ringing out in clear shouts. I felt a great surge of envy; I really regretted not learning how to ride earlier!
Seeing that Wen Shu wasn't in the mood to play seriously, Wen Xiang ended the game. Noticing me staring longingly out the window, she smiled and said, "It is indeed a fine view!" She pressed a button, and half of the carriage wall opened into a large window, causing the field of vision to broaden instantly.
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
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五蕴香蜜 | Five-Scented Nectar | A precious medicinal ointment; also called "Sweet Ointment" (甜甜膏).
无竟宗 | Wujing Sect | The sect Wei Qingming belongs to.
净雨 | Pure Rain | Rain that cleanses spiritual impurities/miasma.
分解术 | Decomposition Technique | A spell that shatters space to destroy objects.
官陵 | Official Tombs | Regulated burial grounds for the nobility and officials.
冷泉山 | Lengquan Mountain | The location of the noble families' tombs.
仙人棋 | Immortal Chess | A strategic board game based on ancient legends.
首山剑 | Shoushan Sword | One of the four great artifacts.
万妖骨 | Myriad Demon Bone | One of the four great artifacts.
六道轮回镜 | Six Paths Reincarnation Mirror | One of the four great artifacts.
千真千幻图 | Map of a Thousand Truths and Illusions | One of the four great artifacts.
蚀龙鼎 | Eclipse Dragon Cauldron | Known as the "Fifth Artifact."
阿达 | A-da | An informal/dialect term for "Father."
文缃 | Wen Xiang | A member of the Wen family.
文纾 | Wen Shu | A beautiful half-sister of Wen Qi.
