Chapter Six: A Demon Presses Upon Princess Fang’s Head

After a summer night's torrential rain, the valley felt as if it had been cleansed, pure and refreshing. Even a gentle breath seemed to lift the spirit, bringing ease, delight, and vitality.

In the courtyard enclosed by a bamboo fence in front of the bamboo house, wildflowers and mountain grasses had been planted. A winding stone path, laid with slabs, led crookedly to the house. Beneath a large tree, which the two had painstakingly transplanted, stood a bamboo chair and a wooden table; on a clay stove, a teapot simmered, sending out wafts of fragrant steam.

Noticing Lu Liao pacing in the courtyard, nodding now and then and shaking her head at other times, Fang Gege had to admit: after their days of busy labor, her courtyard had truly changed. She couldn't quite say what was better, but it was now far more pleasing to the eye than before. Scholars really were different—her senior brother was also a scholar. Perhaps, she thought, scholars just preferred this kind of atmosphere.

According to that fellow, to make guests stay, one needed a place worth staying in. But even that wasn’t enough. Fang Gege counted her silver ingots with a pained heart. Did she really need to buy poetry collections, books, chess sets? Those were frightfully expensive.

Lu Liao shook her head again and again. The courtyard, after much effort, was no longer as disorderly as before, and had a touch of elegance. Yet it was still a bit crude and lacked true charm.

She was completely oblivious to the fact that, before the bamboo door, a graceful, voluptuous young woman stood, stunned by the scene, not daring to enter.

“Fang Gege! Come out here,” the young woman called, her voice a little husky, carrying a peculiar charm.

Lu Liao turned her head and saw a pretty girl with sun-kissed skin, willow-leaf brows, eyes like crescent moons, and a delicate, upturned nose—a striking beauty. Though the world prized fair skin, this girl’s complexion was not pale. But her exquisite face, alluring figure, and an air of fatal attraction made Lu Liao swallow dryly, momentarily forgetting what to say.

Hearing the voice, Fang Gege’s hand trembled, spilling silver pieces all over the ground. She blurted out, “I—I won’t come out!”

“You won’t come out? Fine. If you don’t, I’ll make off with your precious medicine slave,” the young woman said, casting Lu Liao a mischievous smile.

“If you want her, take her. I’m not coming out,” Fang Gege replied, her voice quivering.

Lu Liao stared in astonishment at the girl before the bamboo door. Who was this extraordinary person, to make the notorious Fang Gege so timid and unwilling to even step out?

“Didn’t you go out and accomplish some great deed, get promoted to Snake Envoy of the Spirit Serpent Valley? I thought you’d grown, but you’re still so weak and useless. People like you just disgrace our Sacred Sect and us Five Sacred Envoys,” the young woman mocked, a sneer on her face.

“Whether I bring disgrace or not is Spirit Serpent Valley’s concern, not yours, Sky Spider Cave. If you have the nerve, go tell the Sect Leader!” Fang Gege, though afraid, stubbornly invoked her backer.

“You won’t come out? Think I can’t come in?” The young woman pushed open the bamboo door and entered. She walked a few steps on the stone path, but stopped, feeling awkward.

“If you still won’t come out, I’ll ruin your courtyard and your medicine field!” she called loudly.

“Go ahead, destroy them. I’ll tell the Sect Leader and see how you explain yourself,” Fang Gege insisted, refusing to come out, repeatedly invoking her superior.

The young woman scowled and played her trump card. “If you won’t come out, I’ll drug your senior brother and sneak into his room tonight.”

Lu Liao gazed at her in awe—this was true invincibility.

Fang Gege dashed out in a panic, her voice trembling but unyielding, “Wu Ya, you wouldn’t dare!”

Wu Ya beckoned with a finger, “Come with me, or you’ll see what I dare.”

Lu Liao would not let such a chance slip by and quickly followed.

In a clearing within Spirit Serpent Valley, Wu Ya stood with hands clasped behind her back, the picture of a master. “Come, let me see what skills you possess to be named one of the Five Sacred Envoys, the Snake Envoy.”

At this point, Fang Gege knew avoidance was impossible. She took a deep breath.

With a flick of her hand, a faint green mist drifted toward Wu Ya. Drawing a short sword, she didn’t attack directly but darted quickly around her opponent.

First came the poisonous mist, waiting for the enemy to inhale and be weakened—then, once their defenses were down, a fatal strike. This was a common tactic of the Five Venoms Sect.

Wu Ya watched the mist approach with complete indifference, smiling faintly, unmoved.

Just as Lu Liao’s head was spinning from Fang Gege’s circling, Wu Ya moved. She was as swift as a startled swan, landing a punch squarely in Fang Gege’s abdomen.

With a scream, Fang Gege flew backward, landing in the mud, motionless for a long moment.

Lu Liao’s mouth hung open, her face twitching involuntarily. There was a trace of satisfaction, but more was heartache.

“A hothouse flower like this is useless. The Sect Leader has spoiled Fang Gege too much,” Wu Ya muttered as she walked over to the fallen girl.

She patted Fang Gege’s face. “Get up. Is the mighty Snake Envoy really finished so soon?”

Fang Gege wiped the blood from her lips, her anger boiling over. “I’ll fight you to the death!”

With a nimble backflip, she leapt to her feet, pulled out a bamboo flute, and began to play. A green snake uncoiled from her body, its tongue flickering, and struck at Wu Ya like lightning.

Wu Ya dodged lightly.

Fang Gege gripped her short sword and lunged as well. Together, she and the snake attacked in turns.

But for all their ferocity, they couldn’t touch even the hem of Wu Ya’s clothing. Gradually, their movements slowed until, at last, they seemed frozen in place.

Lu Liao watched in amazement, half-suspecting Wu Ya of using witchcraft.

Wu Ya shook her head and sighed, “Still no progress. You’ve been bound by my Spider Silk so many times and still haven’t learned to defend against it. Aside from your pretty face, what use are you?”

Fang Gege struggled in vain, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Wu Ya picked up Fang Gege’s short sword and pretended to draw it across her face. “If I scar that face of yours, which only serves to attract men, I wonder if anyone will still protect you?”

Seeing Fang Gege’s face blanch with fear, Lu Liao, in a rush of heat, charged forward.

“Stop!”

Wu Ya looked sidelong at Lu Liao, a peculiar smile on her lips. “What’s this? Feeling sorry for her? So eager to protect your mistress?”

Lu Liao forced a smile. “That wicked woman harmed my father, fed me poison, abducted me to be her medicine slave, and tormented me in every way. How could I possibly side with her?”

“Then what do you mean?” Wu Ya asked, puzzled.

“Big sister, you’re so amazing. I just don’t want you to lose to her,” Lu Liao said quickly, noticing that she seemed only a year or two older than him, and addressed her sweetly as “sister.”

Wu Ya scoffed, “What? You think I’d lose to her?”

“If you scar her face, you’ll have lost,” Lu Liao replied with a mysterious smile, full of conviction.

Wu Ya was perplexed. “Why?”

“In my opinion, big sister, your beauty far surpasses hers. At a single glance, one is awestruck. If you cut her face, won’t people say you did it out of jealousy? Wouldn’t that be a loss?” Lu Liao spoke earnestly, as if swearing an oath.

Wu Ya burst out laughing, gazing at Lu Liao with admiration. “You’re a clever one. No one has ever praised me quite like that.”

“I’m not exaggerating,” Lu Liao said, pointing at Fang Gege, now trussed up like a dumpling. “Look at her: plain face, plain figure. Aside from being a bit paler, what’s there to like?”

He glanced at Wu Ya, then quickly lowered his head. “But big sister, your beauty is unearthly. To look at you is to feel unworthy, as if it’s a sin.”

Wu Ya, a prodigy of the Five Sacred Sects, had practiced the Spider Venom Arts since childhood. The venom in her body kept ordinary people at a distance of ten paces. When had she ever been flattered like this? Her heart blossomed with joy.

“Truly a scholar, you know how to speak. Come! Let’s have a drink together.”

Releasing the spider silk from Fang Gege and the green snake, Wu Ya ignored them and, with a blink, dragged Lu Liao off.

On the mountain peak, a full moon hung in the sky, seemingly within reach.

Cold and lonely, the woman who outshone the moon was unapproachable, high above all.

Wu Ya drank, but Lu Liao felt she was really drinking her loneliness.

Though not skilled in social matters or conversation, Wu Ya still longed for warmth. She pointed to a rock beside her, inviting Lu Liao to sit and handed him the wine jug.

Though he had never drunk before, Lu Liao did not refuse. One mouthful burned fiercely, bringing tears to his eyes. Then a rush of warmth surged through his belly, and the gloom he’d held for days was swept away. He nearly let out a howl.

“You’re a scholar. Recite a poem for me,” Wu Ya said approvingly.

Moved by the bright full moon, inspiration struck, and he loudly recited “Drinking Alone Under the Moon”:

“Among the flowers, with a jug of wine, I drink alone, no companion near.
Raising my cup, I invite the bright moon, and together we become three.
The moon doesn’t know how to drink; my shadow merely follows me.
For now, I’ll keep their company, making merry while spring lasts.
I sing, the moon lingers; I dance, my shadow scatters…”

Wu Ya gazed at Lu Liao, tipsy and reciting poetry, eyes full of admiration. “You scholars are truly amazing, making drinking and the moon so beautiful—I can’t even put it into words.”

Lu Liao’s heart ached. “What’s so great about being a scholar? I was captured and made a medicine slave without any resistance. You’re the amazing one—Fang Gege is like a mouse before a cat when she sees you.”

“Do you want to learn martial arts? It’s simple—big sister will teach you,” Wu Ya said nonchalantly.