Guan Fusha was in the study, going through letters sent back by her spies. She had just picked up her brush when she realized there was no ink in the stone inkwell.
“Ah Tian, come grind some ink.”
“…”
Ah Tian was standing by the window, wiping a vase with a cloth in absent-minded strokes. Her gaze wasn’t even on the porcelain. Clearly, her mind was somewhere else entirely.
After waiting quite a while without seeing her come over, Guan Fusha called again.
“Ah Tian.”
Ah Tian’s expression was vacant, her hand still mechanically rubbing at the vase while she was completely lost in her own thoughts. She didn’t hear a word Guan Fusha said.
It had been several days since Yan Hong had stormed off in a rage. Ah Tian hadn’t caught so much as a glimpse of her since. It was as if Yan Hong were deliberately avoiding her—skipping sect meetings, not coming to Hibiscus Courtyard to discuss business with the Protector. Even when Ah Tian took the initiative to go to the Punishment Hall to look for her, she couldn’t find her…
“Ah Tian!”
Guan Fusha’s brows knit lightly, and she couldn’t help but raise her voice.
“What are you spacing out for?”
“…Huh?”
Only then did Ah Tian hear Guan Fusha calling her. She hurriedly put down the rag and went over to the desk, asking respectfully:
“Protector, what does this servant need to do?”
Guan Fusha gave her a cool glance, then looked toward the empty stone inkwell.
Following her gaze, Ah Tian finally realized there was no ink. She apologized in embarrassment.
“I’m sorry, Protector. I’ll grind your ink right away.”
Flustered, she hurried to the bookshelf where the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were kept and started rummaging. Not only did she fail to find the ink stick, she accidentally bumped the shelf. The celadon vase sitting on the top as decoration teetered, then toppled.
Ah Tian froze, then instantly reacted, clamping both hands over her head and squeezing her eyes shut in fear.
But the expected pain never came.
When she cracked her eyes open, she saw that Guan Fusha had caught the vase.
Ah Tian hesitated for a beat, then muttered,
“Thank you, Protector, for saving my life.”
Guan Fusha didn’t reply. She walked around her to put the celadon vase back in its place, then glanced at Ah Tian and spoke lightly.
“You’ve been distracted these past few days. Is something weighing on your mind?”
She hadn’t realized she was so obvious. Ah Tian dropped her gaze.
“…No. Protector, you overthink.”
Guan Fusha didn’t buy it. She paced back to her seat and sat, sounding casual as she said,
“Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen Yan Hong these past days. Do you know where she went?”
Ah Tian stiffened. Her fingers twisted the rag unconsciously. Head lowered, she went back to wiping the vase and murmured,
“This servant does not know where Hall Master Yan Hong has gone.”
“Is that so?”
Guan Fusha arched a brow, unconvinced.
“A few days ago I saw you and Yan Hong chatting in the garden. I thought you two were quite close. I figured you might know where she went.”
Ah Tian’s hand paused.
“That day… this servant and the Hall Master… we just ran into each other by chance. Just a coincidence.”
Guan Fusha’s expression held a trace of a smile that was not quite a smile. She didn’t press further. She picked up her brush, intending to dip it in ink, only to find the inkwell still bone dry.
Watching Ah Tian’s absent-minded back as the girl half-heartedly wiped the vase, Guan Fusha could only shake her head with a soft sigh.
Forget it. If you want something done right, do it yourself.
On the other side of the sect—
Tao Hua was once again on the practice grounds, diligently drilling the Flying Dragon Sword Art. Guan Fusha hadn’t come to see her for days. Her emotions had gone from hopeful, to disappointed, to heartsore, and finally had hardened into a kind of grim motivation.
She had to admit, though it had only been a few short days, her martial arts had improved quite a bit. Of course, part of the credit went to Xiao Yuan’s sharp-tongued, stone-faced coaching every day.
Even so, she and Xiao Yuan still got along terribly. Compared to her, Xiao Zhu was infinitely more adorable.
Thinking of how attentive Xiao Zhu had always been to her before, Tao Hua couldn’t help letting out a sigh.
Xiao Yuan ignored it. She set a three-tiered food box down in front of Tao Hua and said coldly,
“Protector, please take your meal.”
Tao Hua shot her a look, then slowly opened the box. Inside were all her favorite dishes, but…
“Can we really not go back to the Peach Garden and eat properly? Do we have to squat on the ground and wolf it down like this?”
She looked thoroughly displeased.
Xiao Yuan’s expression clearly said, If you don’t want it, don’t eat. Her voice was icy.
“The Protector must learn the twelfth form of the Flying Dragon Sword Art today. I doubt you’ll have time to stroll back to the Peach Garden and dine at leisure.”
“…”
Seriously, this woman…
The second she treated her a bit nicer, Tao Hua went and started seeing her as some venerable teacher!
If she wasn’t worried she couldn’t beat her, Tao Hua would have loved to chuck the food box at her face and splatter her with rice and vegetables.
Fuming silently, Tao Hua plunked down cross-legged on the ground. She took out the dishes one by one and shoved food into her mouth with an unhappy scowl.
Thinking about it, she’d already memorized the first eleven forms of the Flying Dragon Sword Art backward and forward. Even if she and Xiao Yuan fought for real now, it wasn’t certain she’d lose. And this was the perfect chance to test just how far her skills had come, wasn’t it?
The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. If she could beat Xiao Yuan, she might even find an excuse to go see Guan Fusha!
Having made up her mind, she quickly finished lunch, sprang lightly to her feet, and snatched up the longsword resting beside her. With all the momentum she could muster, she leveled the tip at Xiao Yuan.
“I’ve been practicing for so long. I want to know how far I’ve gotten. How about you spar with me?”
Xiao Yuan gave her a cold glance, then lowered her head and continued eating in silence.
“…”
What was that supposed to mean? She didn’t want to fight her?
Only after Xiao Yuan slowly chewed and swallowed her last bite did she rise, unhurried, and walk to the weapon rack. She considered for a moment, then picked up a whip.
She tugged it sharply to test its toughness, then cracked it through the air a few times. Her expression suggested she wasn’t fully satisfied, but she said,
“This will do.”
Tao Hua stared at her, completely bewildered.
Xiao Yuan turned and saw Tao Hua still standing there like an idiot.
“Didn’t the Protector say she wanted to spar with me? Why aren’t you making a move?”
Only then did Tao Hua realize she’d just been choosing a weapon. She drew in a breath and focused, launching into the first form of the Flying Dragon Sword Art just as she’d practiced.
She used subtle force to make the blade feint and shimmer, waiting for her opponent’s attention to waver, then drove the point straight at a vital spot—
But Xiao Yuan had already seen through her move. Her figure blurred aside from the sword, and with a twist of her wrist she looped the whip around the blade, caught both ends, and pressed down hard.
Tao Hua hadn’t expected such a move. Startled, she scrambled to react and almost had her sword knocked flying. Gritting her teeth, she held on with brute strength, narrowly avoiding having the whistling whip tear the weapon from her grip. She forced herself to calm down again, preparing to switch techniques and counterattack.
Seeing that Tao Hua was adjusting her breathing to strike again, Xiao Yuan seized the initiative. The long whip lashed out, cracking across Tao Hua’s right hand.
Pain flared hot and sharp. Her fingers loosened on reflex, and the longsword clanged to the ground.
Xiao Yuan drew back the whip with practiced ease, a faint arrogance in her cold expression.
“You lost.”
“…Oh.”
Tao Hua bent down as if nothing had happened to pick up the sword. Her hand stung like fire, but no amount of pain in her fingers could compare to what she felt in her chest.
She hadn’t expected such a wide gap in their strength. And she’d actually been foolish enough to think she had a chance of beating Xiao Yuan…
Discouraged, Tao Hua bit her lip, her eyes suddenly burning.
Guan Fusha wasn’t even willing to see her anymore. Why was she still coming to the practice grounds every day like an idiot, working so hard at her sword?
Even if she did her best, Guan Fusha wasn’t here to see. Maybe, in her heart, Tao Hua was nothing more than a toy to pass away boredom. Something to kiss and hold when she was in the mood—then toss aside and ignore when she wasn’t…
The more she thought about it, the hotter her anger burned.
She flung the longsword to the ground. Metal scraped harshly across stone.
“I’m done practicing!”
With that, she strode out of the practice grounds—heading not toward the Peach Garden, but straight for Hibiscus Courtyard.
The paths of the Night God Cult were confusing and crisscrossed, but Tao Hua had already been living here for nearly a month. She’d memorized how to get to the places she often visited.
She’d barely gone a few steps when Xiao Yuan immediately caught up from behind and blocked her way.
“Where is the Protector going?”
“Move. I don’t need you to lead the way!”
Tao Hua didn’t want to listen to her nag, so she tried to just walk around her.
“That won’t do.”
Xiao Yuan stubbornly shifted to block her again.
“The terrain in the sect is complicated. It would be best if the Protector said where she wants to go and let this servant guide you.”
“You—!”
Tao Hua flushed bright red with anger, yet there was nothing she could do. After their bout just now, she knew she wasn’t Xiao Yuan’s match. Head-on, she couldn’t win!
But the thought of meekly admitting defeat and going back to practice like an obedient child made her stomach twist.
Both of them held their ground, neither willing to back down. The tension between them stretched tighter and tighter—
Then a lazy voice suddenly rang out from behind Xiao Yuan.
“Quite the nerve you’ve got, speaking to the Protector like that when you’re just a servant.”
Both of them started, turning toward the source of the voice—only to see someone they hadn’t expected at all.
Xiao Yuan quickly pulled herself together and bowed respectfully to the newcomer.
“This servant greets the Hall Master.”
“Left Protector, it’s been a long time.”
Ignoring Xiao Yuan, Yan Hong walked straight over to Tao Hua with a bright smile.
“…It has.”
Seeing Yan Hong come to stand at her side, Tao Hua went a bit blank.
“Hall Master Yan Hong, you’re here…?”
Yan Hong stepped closer and slipped her arm through Tao Hua’s, smiling.
“I came specifically to see you, Protector.”
Anyone who didn’t know better, seeing that scene, would probably assume they were old friends with a deep, long-standing bond.
Tao Hua looked down at Yan Hong’s hand on her arm, thoroughly confused. She’d met Yan Hong at most two or three times. Their relationship certainly wasn’t this close. A thin thread of wariness tugged in her chest. She tried to quietly pull her arm free, but Yan Hong’s grip was firm.
She gave up and forced a smile.
“What matter did the Hall Master come all this way to see me about?”
“The sun is so fierce out here, it’s about to roast the Protector dark. Why don’t we go inside and talk properly?”
Yan Hong pointed toward the blazing sky and laughed.
It felt like she was deliberately trying to avoid Xiao Yuan. That suited Tao Hua just fine; she didn’t want to face Xiao Yuan anymore either.
“You’re right, Hall Master. Let’s go inside to talk.”
Despite saying they were just going inside to chat, Yan Hong ended up taking Tao Hua back to the Punishment Hall.
Xiao Yuan couldn’t stop her. She could only watch helplessly as Yan Hong led Tao Hua away, then hurry back to Hibiscus Courtyard to report to Guan Fusha.
Tao Hua had been to Duanqing Cliff before, but this was her first time inside the Punishment Hall itself. She couldn’t help glancing around curiously.
Yan Hong only smiled without explanation and led her straight into the inner hall.
“This servant greets the Protector, greets the Hall Master.”
The maidservant on duty hurried to salute when she saw them enter. Yan Hong gave her a look, and the girl immediately withdrew to prepare tea.
“Protector, please sit.”
“Alright.”
Tao Hua sat beside Yan Hong. The Punishment Hall didn’t look all that different from other places in the sect. The dungeons and torture chambers, she figured, were probably hidden behind some secret doors.
Once she’d confirmed there wasn’t much interesting to see, she finally remembered why she’d come.
“Right, Hall Master, you said there was something you wished to discuss with me. What is it?”
“It’s about the Right Protector…”
Yan Hong trailed off deliberately, watching Tao Hua’s expression.
The moment Tao Hua heard it was about Guan Fusha, her face tightened.
“About the Right Protector? What about her?”
“No need to be so anxious, Protector.”
Yan Hong smiled and patted the back of her hand soothingly.
Just then, the maid returned with the tea. Yan Hong picked up a cup and handed it to Tao Hua.
“Here, have some tea first.”
Tao Hua didn’t think much of it. The tea was nicely warm; she lifted the cup and drained it in one go.
Only after it slid down did she savor the taste and find it a little odd.
“Hall Master, this tea… tastes kind of strange?”
“Does it?”
Yan Hong lifted her own cup and took a light sniff.
“I don’t notice anything. Perhaps it’s because these tea leaves are from the northern kingdom, and the Protector simply isn’t used to them.”
Tao Hua had no idea what the difference was supposed to be between southern and northern teas, and she didn’t doubt her.
“Right, what was it you said you wanted to discuss?”
Yan Hong waved a hand, dismissing the maid. She took a light sip of tea, then spoke unhurriedly.
“What I wish to discuss with the Protector is this… I wonder if you have any interest in becoming the next Sect Master of the Night God Cult?”
…The next Sect Master of the Night God Cult?
Tao Hua stared at her, utterly stunned. After a long moment she finally managed to react.
“You… you mean…”
Yan Hong set her cup down and smiled, sweet as honey.
“If only one of the two Protectors were left, then the position of Sect Master would naturally be hers.”
Tao Hua had never imagined Yan Hong would make such a proposal to her.
But something felt off. In the original story, Yan Hong’s personality wasn’t like this at all. She and Guan Fusha had met freely, grown close, and their feelings ran deep. She’d even given up her own Protector’s position for Guan Fusha. How could she…
Unless… Yan Hong was testing her?
Yan Hong curved her lips and lounged lazily back in her chair.
“If the Protector has such ambitions, I would be more than willing to lend you a hand.”
Veterans of the jianghu were truly something. Just from her expression alone, Tao Hua couldn’t tell whether Yan Hong was sincerely making an offer… or simply probing her loyalty to Guan Fusha.
“I…”
“There’s no need for the Protector to rush to a decision.”
Before Tao Hua could finish, Yan Hong cut in, smiling with a hint of hidden meaning.
“After tonight is over, it won’t be too late to give me your answer.”
Tao Hua stared at her, torn between suspicion and confusion.
At that moment, the door was suddenly shoved open from outside.
She looked up—and froze when she saw the face she’d been yearning for all this time.
Guan Fusha’s gaze swept between the two of them before settling on Tao Hua. She looked her up and down.
“Shimei, are you alright?”
Tao Hua just stared, dazed, unsure if she was dreaming or awake. The person she’d missed for so long was finally standing right in front of her.
When Tao Hua still didn’t answer, Guan Fusha couldn’t help stepping closer to check on her carefully.
“Why won’t you answer me? Are you hurt somewhere? Does something hurt?”
Soon enough, her eyes fell on the injury on Tao Hua’s hand.
“How did you hurt yourself? Does it hurt badly?”
Tao Hua shook her head, lowering it, eyes stinging as tears threatened to fall.
Seeing something was wrong, Guan Fusha’s heart clenched. She pulled Tao Hua into her arms without thinking.
Maybe she’d been wrong from the very start. She never should have tried to give them “time to cool off.” All they’d been doing was torturing each other, making them both miserable.
The warmth of that embrace broke the last of Tao Hua’s control. She buried her face against Guan Fusha’s neck and burst into tears.
“Uu-uuu… I thought you didn’t want me anymore. You didn’t come see me for so long… you’re awful…”
“Mn, it’s all my fault.”
Guan Fusha followed her lead, patting her back gently in comfort.
“Everything is my fault. Don’t cry…”
“You’re awful… uu… I really thought you didn’t want me anymore…”
“How could I ever not want you?”
Guan Fusha cupped her face, making her meet her eyes and see the sincerity there.
“Did you forget what I told you that day? I want to be with you for a lifetime. How could I ever throw you away?”
Tao Hua gazed at her through a blur of tears, her voice soft and nasal with sobs as she called out,
“Shijie…”
That drawn-out, seductive tone was enough to make Guan Fusha’s whole body heat up.
She couldn’t help answering in kind.
“Shimei…”
She tilted Tao Hua’s face up and leaned in, closer and closer. Their noses were about to touch when a deliberately loud cough cut through the air, utterly shattering the tender mood.
“Ladies, this is the Punishment Hall.”
If you want to show off your lovey-dovey nonsense, go flaunt it back at your own place!
