AS FENG XIAO AND CUI BUQU were waiting for the Jade of Heaven Lake to appear at Linlang Pavilion, a strange guest arrived at Chunxiang House in Liugong City.
The man had a shaved head and held prayer beads in his hand. One couldn't call him a monk, because he was wearing common clothing—yet one couldn't say he wasn't, because his expression was serene and devoid of all earthly desire. He didn't look like he'd come for entertainment, but more like he'd come to preach.
The house's owner, Madam Xue, had received many odd guests over the years, but this was the first time she'd met one this odd. When she heard a man had ignored their closed doors and proceeded to enter, she pulled her hair haphazardly into a bun, yawned, and walked out under the protection of her armed escort.
At the sight of the guest, Madam Xue was momentarily stunned. She buried her anger and donned a smile. "Good sir, Chunxiang House doesn't entertain guests during the day. If you're interested, please return around six this evening."
Zhangsun Bodhi said, "I heard little Yunyun-niangzi moved half the city with her dancing recently. I came specially to see her."
Madam Xue covered her mouth coyly and smiled. "Little Yunyun-niangzi? I'm afraid she's still dawdling at this hour, struggling to get out of bed and put on her makeup!"
If the regular customers of Chunxiang House had seen the fiery and impatient Madam Xue being this courteous with a man who didn't understand the rules, their jaws would have hit the floor. But though Madam Xue had seen countless people come and go in her time, Zhangsun Bodhi's handsome face cooled her early morning temper enough that she could greet him with a smile.
Zhangsun Bodhi frowned slightly. "I'm only passing through Liugong City and will be gone by tonight. Can't I meet her just this once?" He took out a brocade pouch and handed it to Madam Xue.
When she opened it, she found herself stunned again. The pouch was filled with golden pearls from the South China Sea, round and heavy and glistening in the morning sunlight.
Combined with Zhangsun Bodhi's handsome face, the bag of golden pearls shattered her resistance. Forget Yunyun; if he'd requested Madam Xue herself, she'd have had no objection.
"Please step this way, sir. I'll call Yunyun right now!"
Zhangsun Bodhi gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping furtively around the front room. A lithe silhouette flashed past, then vanished from sight.
If they'd wished to move in secret, it would of course have been best to come at night. Then there would be people coming and going from Chunxiang House, decked in finery and fragrances, and it'd be easier for Zhangsun Bodhi and Qiao Xian to conceal their activities.
But this advantage cut both ways—night made it easier for their adversary to hide as well. Zhangsun and Qiao Xian had discussed it, and both believed a daytime visit gave them a better chance of catching their target off guard. Perhaps they could even lure the snake from its hole.
Chunxiang House was actually a sprawling complex of pavilions connected by winding walkways and corridors. A faint fragrance hung in the air, giving visitors the impression of beauties tucked away in their boudoirs. But as Zhangsun walked behind Madam Xue, he only thought that this place had too many concealed corners and hidden nooks. Even if a martial expert sought someone here, as long as their target held their breath and stayed still, the sounds of the birds, fish, and insects would provide cover, and they might avoid discovery.
"This is Yunyun's residence. You may go up, though she might not be awake yet," Madam Xue said with a smile.
Yunyun was both a performer and a prostitute, and she wasn't a woman just anyone could have. But Zhangsun had been too extravagant in offering this pouch of golden pearls right off the bat. There was only one Yunyun, yet it could've purchased ten of her.
Madam Xue took her leave. Zhangsun knocked twice, and the door opened promptly. A young girl stood in the doorway.
"I'm here to see Yunyun."
The girl was immediately angry. "Sir, you don't know the rules. The mistress doesn't entertain customers before dark. Please leave, or I'll call someone over."
"Madam Xue brought me here."
The girl was stunned. Her anger turned to sadness, but in a flash that, too, was gone. Her face smoothed to placidity as she said, "My apologies—please come in, sir. May I trouble you to wait in the front room for a moment? Little Yunyun-niangzi has not yet risen, so I will go and wake her up."
Zhangsun nodded. "Thank you."
The women in such houses took a great deal of care when dressing and adorning themselves; he settled in to wait. Zhangsun looked around and saw a potted wintersweet plum before the window. It was curious to see it blooming in spring. He stepped over for a look and realized they were silk flowers, but finely crafted. The evenness of their color and the variety of shades made them indistinguishable from the real thing.
"Do you think they're pretty?" came a gentle and melodious female voice from behind him.
"I do." Zhangsun Bodhi turned to look at her. "Did you make them yourself?"
Yunyun smiled without speaking. Her dark hair had been casually pulled into a knot and an outer garment draped loosely over her thin robe, creating an aura of languid intimacy.
"As long as they're pretty, does it matter where they came from? Why has this gentleman arrived before evening? Did Madam Xue not stop you?"
Zhangsun Bodhi's answer was typically concise: "A bag of golden pearls."
Yunyun understood at once. A giggle slipped from her. "No wonder Madam Xue was willing to make an exception." She moved to hold Zhangsun's hand, pressing herself against him.
No matter how enthralling Yunyun's dancing might be, what most of the men willing to spend thousands on her wanted was her body. The pleasure of a woman could be more cheaply obtained elsewhere—the real reason men flocked to her was to satisfy their ego by possessing her. Yunyun understood this well, so she didn't play hard to get like other girls of the dance house.
But Zhangsun Bodhi pushed her hand away. "I wish to see you dance."
Yunyun sputtered out a laugh. "Is the gentleman shy? Does he wish to see a dance first? That's also fine. However, there's no accompanying music here; I'll have to ask my maid to play the pipa."
"I'm not shy," said Zhangsun Bodhi. "And I'm not putting on a virtuous act. I simply wish to see you dance." His expression was placid and unsmiling, yet this somehow gave more weight to his words. "Do you remember this?" He took a golden hairpin from his sleeve and handed it to her.
A look of confusion passed over Yunyun's face. Then her expression slowly cleared, as if recalling something. "You couldn't be the one in the alley on the east side…"
Zhangsun nodded. "Eight years ago, there was a young man living on the streets, starving and cold, close to death. You gave him a golden hairpin from your own hair and told him to pawn it to weather those difficult times. Later, when his circumstances improved, he re-purchased the hairpin and kept it with him always. Today that young man has come to return it to you and finish what he started."
Yunyun stared at the golden hairpin for a long time. Tears brimmed in her eyes, rolling down her cheeks to fall onto Zhangsun Bodhi's palm.
"It's been eight years. You've become a strong and stalwart man, while I've grown old."
"If you wish, I can redeem you," said Zhangsun.
Yunyun wiped at her tears and smiled as she shook her head. "I love the life I have, where everyone's eyes are on me, and I can indulge in what luxuries I wish. You needn't worry about me. Keep this golden hairpin to remember me by. What dance do you want to see? I'll perform it for you."
After this reminiscence, Yunyun's attitude toward Zhangsun Bodhi had become genuinely intimate. No longer was she so distantly polite as she'd been at the beginning.
Zhangsun gazed at her intently for a moment, then tucked the golden hairpin back in his sleeve. "In that case, I'd like a dance to the song 'The Drunken East Wind.'"11
***
Linlang Pavilion was a flurry of chatter; the quiet scene had boiled over. People craned their necks to get a look at the lustrous, crystalline jade in the maid's hand. Any further introduction from the auctioneer was unnecessary—even those who knew nothing about jade could see this was a priceless treasure.
"So that's what the Jade of Heaven Lake looks like?" Pei Jingzhe asked.
It was true they'd speculated that the Jade of Heaven Lake would appear at the auction, but none of them had imagined it'd be so openly. If the Jiejian Bureau simply shut down the auction and took the jade away, wouldn't their adversary's careful planning have been all in vain?
He immediately considered the possibility it was a fake.
But since Linlang Pavilion had brought the item out, there was no going back. Whether it was real or fake, they would have to obtain the jade to verify it.
"Due to the unknown provenance of this item, Linlang Pavilion isn't confident in our appraisal. The starting price is therefore lower than the other treasures we've seen here today, tentatively set at five thousand. If any honored guest is interested in increasing the price, please make your bid."
As the auctioneer finished, someone called out a bid of six thousand coppers and the price began to climb. Soon it had increased to fifty thousand—but the hall roiled, and the bids kept coming. Clearly the bidding wouldn't conclude any time soon. Even Lin Yong, who'd stayed out of the spotlight, joined in and called out a bid of one hundred thousand. Someone immediately bid up the price again.
Even if it wasn't the Jade of Heaven Lake, a jade as precious as this one still had countless people vying for it. Additionally, news of the theft of the Jade of Heaven Lake had spread underground, and quite a few well-informed people had caught wind of it. Despite the caveats of the auctioneer, the jade quickly became more coveted than any of the previous items.
Pei Jingzhe began, "Sir, should we—"
"Wait a little longer," said Feng Xiao.
The bidding had reached three thousand taels of silver. Feng Xiao saw the bidders were restless and eager to continue. On his orders, Pei Jingzhe called out a bid of five thousand taels, throwing in ten golden pearls from the South China Sea for good measure.
The hall fell instantly silent as the crowd turned to look toward the source of this outrageous bid.
Cui Buqu tugged his coat further up around his chin and turned aside, avoiding the many unwanted stares.
Feng Xiao leaned over deliberately. "You're not some young maiden. Why act so shy? What, are they not even allowed to look at you?"
"You're so flashy," Cui Buqu said coldly. "I fear if I'm seen with you I'll end up dead in my bed one night with no one the wiser."
Feng Xiao chuckled and looped an arm around his waist. "Then you can share a bed with me," he said silkily. "I can guarantee you a peaceful night's sleep."
Suddenly Cui Buqu stood and slapped Feng Xiao soundly across the face. The move was so blisteringly fast not even Feng Xiao, the martial arts master, could react in time. He'd taken half the force of the blow before he managed to flinch backward.
"Shameless cad! Sleeping with my little sister wasn't enough for you, so now you're coming after me? This humble Daoist fled all the way to Liugong City, yet I still can't escape you. Is there no law or order in this world?"
Cui Buqu was in full view of the crowd, his tone severe and his expression fearsome. His face was white with anger, bringing to mind a slender stalk of bamboo amid snow—brittle, yet refusing to break.
Feng Xiao was struck speechless.
He hadn't anticipated that Cui Buqu's silent forbearance had simply been him biding his time for this moment. All eyes were on Feng Xiao, and his image in them had completely transformed.
Now this is truly awful luck, Feng Xiao thought to himself. Playing with fire and burning myself—that's a first.