Zhou Zishu raised his head to study this beauty, the expression on his face gentle, and asked softly, "Miss, does this humble one know you?"
That beautiful woman chuckled. "Are you unwilling to buy me a drink just because you don't recognise me?"
Zhou Zishu smiled, and said, "How am I unwilling? Never mind a flask of wine, with such a character like yours, miss, even if you want to consume my flesh, drink my blood, this humble one won't even bat an eye--waiter, serve us a flask of good wine."
Then he paused, swept an eye over Wen Kexing and his unfriendly mien, and pointed to him, telling the waiter, "Put it on his tab."
This was the first time Gu Xiang had seen such vibrant reds and purples blooming on her own master's face, and she instantly felt that this meal was so, so worth it.
That beautiful woman tittered, her laughter like a shivering branch of flowers, like silver pearls pattering onto a jade plate; a piece by "Enchanted Song" Qin Song was nothing compared to her voice. The wine was served quickly, and Zhou Zishu said, "Please sit, miss."
The beautiful woman touched his shoulder with a slender hand, and murmured gently, "It's alright, I'm leaving right after I'm done drinking."
Zhou Zishu uttered an "ah", his expression revealing a hint of his disappointment. Wen Kexing huffed coldly, and said, "Yes, this table was getting a little too squeezy."
The beautiful woman glanced at Wen Kexing, and knocked back the cup of wine. Even the manner in which she had drunk it was far better looking than those of others, not a single flaw in her graceful action of picking up the cup and drinking it. Zhou Zishu's gaze could hardly bear to leave her face even for a second. The beautiful woman set down the empty cup, extended a finger to gently trace Zhou Zishu's cheek, and asked, "I'm leaving, are you coming with?"
Without another word, Zhou Zishu immediately stood up and left with her, not even sparing a single backward glance. There was a "crack" as the chopsticks in Wen Kexing's hand snapped into two; Gu Xiang and Zhang Chengling lowered their heads instantly, pretending as if they had seen nothing. Cao Weining, on the other hand, was full of righteous anger, pointing in the direction where that despicable couple had headed to, fuming, "This injustice, Wen-xiong has always felt so deeply for him, how could he be like this, in the face of beauty...of beauty…"
Abandoning brotherhood in the face of beauty? It didn't seem right either. Cao Weining bit down on his tongue.
Wen Kexing whipped around to look at him, feeling for the first time that this dumb child surnamed Cao was this comfortable to the eye, and came to seek comfort with a face like he was about to cry--this time, Gu Xiang was the one to bite down on her tongue.
But Cao Weining pondered over it for a while, and told Wen Kexing with a straight face, "This matter...I don't think it's as simple as it looks, ai, Wen-xiong, I was overhasty in making my comments earlier, don't take them to heart. Zhou-xiong isn't that kind of person, he must have some kind of unlamentable woe to resort to such an undesirable solution, don't misunderstand him."
Gu Xiang jumped instantly, "Yes, Master, don't misunderstand him. See, Zhou Xu's heel is pointing towards you--you can tell that he's leaving very unwillingly."
This time round, even Cao Weining could tell that Gu Xiang's words were getting ridiculous, and he could only look at her resignedly and with some embarrassment.
Zhang Chengling said, "Gu Xiang-jiejie, you'd better stop saying things."
Suddenly, Wen Kexing stood up without a word, turned and left, chasing after Zhou Zishu, leaving the three of them to glance at each other. Gu Xiang swallowed, and whispered, "My master is desperate, now."
Cao Weining shook his head, sighing, "It is truly 'When the wind and rain comes in the night, who knows how many tears are shed… Ever since the ancient times, the single word "love" has always inflicted the deepest wounds, but what can we do about it?"
Zhang Chengling thought, what else can I say? So he remained silent, and lowered his head to continue eating.
That beautiful woman brought Zhou Zishu to a narrow alley, turning left and right around corners, until they entered a courtyard, in which a few plum trees, out of flowering season, were planted. She pushed open the door of the house, and a faint perfumed scent wafted out. Raising the bead curtain, she leant half her weight on the door frame, asking delicately, "Why, aren't you going to enter?"
Following her gaze, Zhou Zishu surveyed the inside of the room. From the open door, he could see the vague outlines of a folding screen and a bed, the dresser slanted in a corner, and a woman's long dress hanging by the bronze mirror. The rouge box was uncapped, her makeup box in a mess--so the legendary tender, enticing land of women was no more than this.
Zhou Zishu smiled as he shook his head. "This humble one is a sleazy man, how can I enter a maiden's boudoir so easily?"
The beautiful woman laughed. "You've become a gentleman all of a sudden. Will you still not come in, even if I invite you in?"
Zhou Zishu smiled again, lowering his head to look at the tip of his shoe, and said, "May this miss forgive me. Even if this humble one had the additional courage of another man's, I dare not enter this house that has 'Rouge's Grave' incense burning; if I enter standing, I'll have to be carried out as a corpse."
The corner of the beautiful woman's mouth stiffened slightly, but she immediately smiled thereafter. "You men, doesn't the saying go 'Die under the peony, and even your ghost will be a womanizing one?' Why is it that you've already followed me here, but fail at this juncture?"
Zhou Zishu said, "That is indeed the saying, but it's better to live when you have the opportunity to. The longer you live, the more times you can pass under the peony, don't you agree? Plus, I don't have the charm for you to pick me out from a crowd of thousands and insist on marrying me and only me; this humble one still has this bit of self-awareness, and this miss really thinks too highly of me. Why not make this more satisfying for both of us by cutting straight to the point of what it is that you're after? Say it, and perhaps...we can still have a good discussion."
The beautiful woman looked at him and sighed breezily. "If I didn't go for you, who else could I have gone for? Amongst that group of you, if it's not a girl, it's a naive child, or a dumb idiot who's head over heels for that silly girl, and the other one…"
She paused slightly. "The other one is even odder. Starting from the moment I walked in, he didn't even glance at me once, but looked only at you, a 'sleazy man'. Don't you think it's weird? Ai, looking around, you're the only normal man; if I didn't go for you, who else could I go for?"
Zhou Zishu coughed, immediately regretting his own question, and said in a straightforward manner, "If this miss is after the Lapis Armour, you can go back. I don't have the Zhang family piece, but I heard that Hero Gao and Hero Shen each took out a piece yesterday. If you're coveting it, you might as well pay them a visit and ask about it."
The beautiful woman narrowed her eyes slightly. Letting go of the bead curtain in her hand, she said softly, "I will eventually get my hands on the full Lapis Armour, no matter whose hands it is in now. You say you don't have it, but on what basis should I believe your words? Don't you men like telling lies the most?"
Zhou Zishu leaned under the plum tree, neither nodding his head or shaking it, gazing at the beautiful woman's face for a while with a calm expression, before he suddenly mused, "This miss' demeanour and movements are outstanding, amongst those of the many women I've met."
This was originally a compliment, yet for some unknown reason, once the beautiful woman heard this, she couldn't maintain the smile on her face any longer, and screeched indecorously, "What did you say?"
Zhou Zishu shook his head and murmured, "I was just saying that this miss has a beautiful character; even if your looks are ordinary, your beautiful qualities are difficult to hide. Why be obsessed with physical beauty, and end up with something inferior? I had a friend who once said that a person's looks are casted by heaven--one looks exactly like how she should, and once there's any slight change to them, others can spot it, and that gives her away. From what I see, this miss' techniques are considerably skilled, yet, how do you not know of these doctrines?"
The beautiful woman's expression turned frosty. "Was your intent in following me to humiliate me?"
Zhou Zishu shook his head, and said gently. "This humble one did not have that intention." --Outsiders to the craft of disguise could not discern anything off the mark, but craftsmen of the trade knew plenty of tricks. Zhou Zishu was used to observing people; one look, and he could tell that although this woman was elegant and graceful, she was no longer young. But her face and neck, and even the colour of her hands, were extremely natural, so natural that they seemed real without the slightest flaw. Of the techniques in the world, the only one that could achieve this sort of standard...was the unparalleled, signature set of skills only imparted by the Four Seasons Manor in the past--although it was unknown where she had learnt it from.
The beautiful woman chuckled coldly, and said, "Sure, I'll let you know, then."
She took out a silk handkerchief and a small bottle of ointment from her robes, poured the liquid onto the handkerchief, and started rubbing at her face. That face as beautiful as a picture flaked off bit by bit with her actions, her skin fading in colour, her features changing in shape. From the left side of her face, she peeled off a human skin mask as thin as a cricket's wing, exactly like the painted skin of the myths.
Zhou Zishu held his breath. This woman originally was not ugly; although she wasn't as earth-shattering a beauty like she had painted herself to be, she could definitely be considered a beautiful woman--if it weren't for the lumpy, sinister burn scar across the left side of her face.
In that moment, he knew who this woman was, and the words leapt out of his mouth. "You are...Green Vixen Liu Qianqiao?"
Green Vixen Liu Qianqiao was nothing pleasant; rumour had it that she had a thousand painted skins, and was well-versed in the art of beguilement. She loved to transform herself into a beauty to seduce young men, absorbing their spiritual essence until they died. She had been the cause of countless cases, but her repertoire of disguises was too diverse for anyone to arrest her.
Liu Qianqiao chuckled coldly. "Now, you understand why I must have the Lapis Armour, don't you?"
Zhou Zishu was silent for a while. "You aren't after the Fengshan Sword Manual, but the Yin Yang Manual."
She had many faces, but her own face was one that could never see the light of day in her lifetime. It was the natural law of the universe for a woman to be vain about her appearance; an ordinary woman could perform many appalling acts for a good-looking face, much less her.
If a person well-versed in the art of disguise did not guard their own heart well and became obsessed with their physical appearance--swapping out a thousand masks until they couldn't remember their own name most of the time, or whether they were originally pretty or ugly, wasn't that close to insanity?
Zhou Zishu shook his head. "The Zhang family's piece of the Lapis Armour really isn't with any of us."
Liu Qianqiao chuckled coldly. A dagger flashed in her hand, and without warning, struck towards Zhou Zishu. Whirling around, Zhou Zishu dodged the strike, curling his fingers to catch her wrist. Unexpectedly, a circle of needles like those of a porcupine shot out around her wrist, shining with a blue light, and a gust of fog poured from her sleeve. Zhou Zishu hastily retracted his hand, retreating in three quick steps as he held his breath. Liu Qianqiao's figure flashed, and was gone.
She only left the words, "Wait and see!"
Zhou Zishu sighed, suddenly anxious about the road ahead. There was the Green Vixen today; who knew, who would come tomorrow? Zhang Chengling, this person, was the biggest trouble on earth--no wonder the two old foxes Gao Chong and Zhao Jing had let him take this nuisance away so freely that day.
He turned to leave, and had just pushed the courtyard door open when a hand reached out from one side and grabbed his shoulder as quickly as lightning. Reflexively, Zhou Zishu sunk his shoulder and retracted his arm; missing the hit, he instantly changed postures, striking with the blade of his palm. That person took the hit, made a low sound of pain, and latched onto him, moaning, "Mariticide…"
Zhou Zishu kicked him away, crossing his arms, frowning. "Valley Master Wen, have you forgotten to take the medication for your madness today?"
Wen Kexing bared his teeth as he pressed his hand against his ribs as if they were going to break, but insisted, "You left with another woman right in front of me! How dare you meet her clandestinely in this sort of place? A single bachelor and an unmarried woman alone together in broad daylight…"
Zhou Zishu casually said, "Isn't it time for you to go mess around in the brothel for the whole day?"
Once these words left his mouth, Zhou Zishu nearly swallowed his tongue in regret, thinking that he must have been too muddled by anger, to even say this sort of thing.
Wen Kexing stilled for a moment, then came up to glue himself to him, smiling cheekily and unabashedly, "Ever since I decided to cling to you, I've never touched anyone else."
Zhou Zishu said with an insincere smile, "Many thanks to the Valley Master for his deep love. I'm very sorry, but I didn't decide to cling to you, 'Valley Master'."
Wen Kexing thought for a while, and seemed to find it reasonable, so he nodded and said, "That's true--although, while you can meet clandestinely with people as you like, I can also listen in on your liaisons in the bedroom anytime I like."
Zhou Zishu said, "Valley Master Wen, do you know how the word 'shameless' ought to be written?"
Wen Kexing said brazenly, "When it's time to be shameless, one should be shameless."
Zhou Zishu lowered his head, and used all of his might to uncurl his fingers from a fist. Yet his five fingers seemed to be heartsick for one another and kept gathering, tremoring with the desire to have a go at the face of this person in front of him.
So he forced himself to look away from that face of Wen Kexing's, and turned around to leave in a huff--even forgetting to ask for his coin pouch back.