Chapter Sixty-Eight: Beneath the Nine Springs

“I understand!”

Baihua had served in the Guo household for many years and naturally knew how strictly Guo Mian governed his family. She also understood how terrifying the Well of Springs could be. No matter how dearly Madam Zhan Wenjun favored her, betraying the family meant that most of her life was already forfeit.

“I have failed my master and mistress; my crimes are beyond forgiveness, and I deserve death. But whatever wrongs I have committed are mine alone and have nothing to do with my mother or my elder brother and sister-in-law. Besides… I have two young nephews. If that man learns that I have been captured, they… they may suffer tortures beyond imagining… Madam!”

Thud, thud, thud!

Baihua bowed heavily, striking her head against the stone floor again and again. Blood soon seeped from her delicate, fair brow and ran down, staining her clothes. She pleaded desperately, “Please! For the sake of the affection we once shared, send someone to save them! If I die, I shall at least rest easy…”

Zhan Wenjun remained silent for a moment. A trace of melancholy passed through her eyes.

“Wanqi!”

Wanqi pushed open the door and entered. She glanced first at Baihua on the floor, then walked over to stand beside her. Zhan Wenjun turned her back to them both and returned to the couch where she had been sitting. Resting her hand on the greenwood armrest, she rubbed it absently twice. Her voice seemed to descend from beyond the ninth heaven, indistinct to the ear yet stirring the soul.

“Take her to the Bitter Spring. Shishu is still waiting there…”

The Guo family’s Well of Springs consisted of nine separate wells: the Well of Feng, the Well of Judgment, the Yellow Well, the Cold Well, the Well of Yin, the Dark Well, the Lower Well, the Bitter Well, and the Nether Well. Each had its own jurisdiction and purpose.

The Bitter Well was reserved for punishing rebellious spirits, precisely for traitors like Baihua. Of the nine wells, its laws and tortures were the most severe. Those sent there had almost no chance of emerging alive. Worse than death itself was the endless torment inflicted by its instruments of punishment.

Baihua’s body trembled, and she collapsed limply to the floor, unable to utter another word. Yet Wanqi, unusually, lowered her head. She neither spoke nor obeyed the order.

Zhan Wenjun spun around. An unfathomable authority shone in her clear eyes. Wanqi dared not meet her gaze. With a thud, she dropped to her knees and pressed her forehead to the stone. Her voice remained as cold as ever, yet the words she spoke were enough to warm the frozen heart of the world.

“Madam, please!”

Anger flashed between Zhan Wenjun’s brows. But after a long while, it melted into a soft sigh.

“I have often said that you understand nothing of human affection. It seems I wronged you. Very well, very well… Baihua has been your sister for many years, and today you are willing to plead for her. At least your years of acquaintance have not been in vain.”

She paused, then sighed again.

“Baihua’s family was taken hostage, and she was driven into betrayal against her will. Her circumstances are indeed deserving of sympathy. But the Guo family has its laws. If I show favoritism, how could I face the loyal spirits of those who would rather die than betray the family? More troubling still, Shishu enforces the law without mercy. In her eyes, there is only family law, not even the authority of her superiors. Even if I went there myself, I doubt I could make her change her mind.”

Wanqi was poor with words, and this was the first time in her life she had ever disobeyed Zhan Wenjun. She knew her mistress spoke reasonably, yet she continued kneeling and began striking her head against the stone, one blow after another. It seemed she was about to follow Baihua’s example and bleed herself senseless.

A hand reached out and caught her arm.

Wanqi turned her head and saw a lovely face. Though blood streaked both cheeks, Baihua was smiling.

“Elder Sister, do not trouble Madam any further. What has happened today is my own doing. I do not fear death. I only hope you will grant me one request…”

Wanqi stared at her, a sharp pain cutting through her heart. She said softly, “Tell me. Whatever it is, I will do it.”

“Save my family! I do not know where they are now. The last place I saw them was a residence at the very end of Left Ancestral Shrine Alley in Qiantang. Elder Sister, promise me—you must rescue them!”

Wanqi nodded. She did not raise her voice, yet her words carried the weight of ten thousand measures.

“I promise.”

Xu You returned to his quarters but did not hurry to sleep. Instead, he asked Qiufen to summon Lushuang and smiled.

“I did not disturb your pleasant dreams, did I?”

Lushuang lowered her head with a faint smile.

“Young Master has not yet retired. How could a servant go to sleep before him?”

Xu You noticed the slight change in the way she addressed him, but he paid it no mind. They would be living together day and night in the future, and a little familiarity would benefit them both.

“That makes no sense. I am awake because trivial matters have kept me from sleeping. If you and Qiufen have nothing to do, then sleep whenever you wish. You need not stay up waiting for me.”

Lushuang answered obediently. After studying his expression, she asked in a gentle voice, “Young Master has been awake all night. Is it because Madam Guo has kept you tossing and turning?”

Her words were unmistakably suggestive. When Xu You glared at her, she covered her mouth and laughed softly. Her yielding body seemed boneless, and from shoulder to ankle she radiated a captivating charm that set the heart racing.

Xu You could do nothing with her.

“Do not speak such nonsense. What would people think if they overheard you? I asked you to come here so late because I have something I would like to trouble you with… though I do not know whether your body can endure it.”

Lushuang’s expression immediately grew serious.

“Please give your orders, Young Master. I am almost fully recovered and can manage anything.”

“Is that so? You said it yourself, so you must not regret it later.” Xu You settled himself comfortably. “I want you to teach those storytellers how to make their tales more compelling when performed onstage.”

Lushuang’s small mouth fell slightly open. Her cherry-red tongue touched lightly against her pearly teeth. Only after a moment did she exclaim in astonishment, “Teach those storytellers? Young Master, they have all been educated. They are disciples of the sages, proud men with lofty opinions. Someone like me would be beneath them—not to mention becoming their teacher. Even speaking to them at close range would be an insult to their dignity. How could I possibly…”

“It is true that they have studied, but poverty forced them to lower themselves to storytelling. The Guo family also holds their vulnerabilities in its hands. They may look down on you in their hearts, but they would never dare speak openly against you. I am sending you to teach them, so teach them well. You need concern yourself with nothing else. If anyone dares obey you only in appearance while defying you in secret, I have ways of making him regret it.”

Lushuang considered this, then said, “Since you put it that way, I shall do my best. But if I fail to teach them properly, Young Master, please do not blame me.”

Xu You laughed.

“With your abilities, teaching that pack of fools will be more than easy. Of course, I am not asking them to learn singing, dancing, or graceful movements. I want the rises and falls of their voices, the joy and anger in their expressions, and the appropriate movements of their bodies to blend seamlessly with the story. They must spread it throughout the land in the shortest possible time and to the greatest possible effect. Lushuang, whether we can survive this crisis, whether we can establish ourselves in Qiantang, will depend on you.”

Lushuang arched her brows. Excitement and eagerness glimmered in her eyes.

“Yes!”

Several crows gave mournful cries. At some point, the bright moon slipped behind the clouds, and the mountains of Bright Jade were plunged into darkness so deep that one could not see one’s own hand before one’s face.

Suddenly, a graceful figure leapt into the courtyard. After looking around, she identified the room where Xu You was staying. She was just about to creep beneath the window when a low voice came from the left side room.

“Who goes there?”

The door opened.

A streak of sword light flashed across the night like a falling star.

The night wanderer had just opened her mouth to speak when the force rushing toward her made breathing difficult. She had no choice but to twist aside and evade the fierce stroke. Before her body had steadied, however, the sword light pursued her to the chest without the slightest pause, as though that had been its intended target from the beginning.

The swordsmanship alone was astonishing, but even more astonishing was the swordsman’s ability to anticipate his opponent’s movements and distinguish illusion from reality.

The night wanderer reached to her waist. The soft, coiling Flowing Wave Sword was roused by the cold wind and instantly became firm as steel, gleaming brilliantly as it thrust directly toward the incoming blade.

Clang!

The night wanderer somersaulted backward through the air. When she landed, she retreated three steps before regaining her balance. The distance allowed her to speak.

“Lord Zuo, it is I!”

The attacker was naturally Zuo Bin. He stood exactly where he had been, unmoving. Sheathing his sword, he stared in astonishment.

“Lady Wan?”

Though the night wanderer had changed into black clothes, her voice was as cold as ice preserved for ten thousand years. Zuo Bin recognized her at once.

He was puzzled. Wanqi was Zhan Wenjun’s personal maid. If she had business with Xu You, she could have entered openly through the main gate. Why had she climbed over the wall and sneaked into the courtyard like a thief?

“It is me.”

Wanqi stepped closer. Against the black of her clothing, her snow-white skin seemed even more pure and translucent. She bowed.

“I wish to see Lord Xu. Please announce me, Lord Zuo.”

Zuo Bin nodded. He knew she must have come on urgent business and did not delay. He walked to the main room and gently knocked several times.

“Qiufen? Qiufen…”

After a short wait, Qiufen opened the door, still bleary-eyed.

“What is it?”

“Wanqi wishes to see Young Master.”

Qiufen instantly woke. Following Zuo Bin’s gaze, she saw Wanqi standing in the courtyard and hurriedly said, “I will go wake him at once!”

“No need. I already heard you.”

Xu You appeared at the doorway with a robe draped over his shoulders, his hair falling loose down his back. He looked toward the woman standing in the darkness and seemed to sense the bewilderment and sorrow clinging to her. With a faint smile, he said warmly, “Come inside first.”

A white candle was lit. Qiufen stood to one side while Zuo Bin guarded the room behind him. Xu You looked at Wanqi, who was kneeling on a cushion, and personally poured her a cup of hot tea.

“Does Madam know you came here tonight?”

Wanqi shook her head.

“I came without telling Madam. That is why I avoided the guards around the courtyard and tried to see you secretly. I did not expect Lord Zuo to discover me the moment I entered.”

“Wind Tiger has sharp eyes and ears. He has never been a sound sleeper.” Xu You made a light remark. Seeing Wanqi relax slightly, he lifted his cup and took a sip of tea before asking, as though casually, “If there is something you need my help with, you may speak freely, Lady Wan.”

Wanqi remained silent for a while. Then she suddenly rose, knelt on the ground, and bowed deeply.

“Please, Lord Xu, save Baihua!”

Xu You was startled.

“Qiufen, help her up. There is no need for such ceremony. Tell me properly—what happened to Baihua?”

With Qiufen’s assistance, Wanqi rose and recounted the entire matter from beginning to end.

Qiufen listened in stunned disbelief. She could never have imagined that Baihua, who appeared as innocent and guileless as a child, was actually a spy bought by another party—and that, intentionally or otherwise, she had once drawn Xu You into investigating the secrets of the Precipice Falls.

Zuo Bin was equally shaken. He was no inexperienced young girl like Qiufen. He knew how treacherous human nature could be and how unpredictable the world was. Yet if he had not heard it with his own ears that night, he would never have believed that Baihua could be such a person.

In his previous life, Xu You had endured countless hardships as a child and later spent his adult years in the dirtiest and ugliest corners of the financial world. In matters of worldly experience, Qiufen and Zuo Bin were far beneath him. Thus, although Baihua’s revelation had taken him somewhat by surprise, he accepted the truth quickly.

No matter the age or the world, the only person one can ever truly rely on is oneself.