Chapter 5

…

The wind quieted among the leaves.

After listening to Xie Zhiyuan’s words, Yun Miao widened her eyes and stared at him for a while before slowly speaking:
“Are you serious?”

“Of course, I am.”

The boy beside her looked at her with a sincere expression. “Marry me.”

“Why are you saying this all of a sudden?”

Yun Miao still felt like she hadn’t processed what he said.

“I just did a calculation,” Xie Zhiyuan replied earnestly. “Our eight characters match, our five elements are in harmony, and we share a marital destiny from a previous life.”

… Yun Miao thought his reasoning sounded like something from a wandering street fortune-teller.

Yet, he said it with such seriousness. Maybe they really had some unresolved connection in their past lives, and in this life, they were destined to be a couple to fulfill it.

“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to marry a stranger?”

Xie Zhiyuan shifted his approach. “Well, I’m not a stranger.”

“My imperial brother has recently started selecting a bride. Once his wedding is done, it will be my turn to marry.”

He continued explaining, “I don’t want to marry someone I don’t know either.”

“I promise, this marriage will only be in form. Even if we’re husband and wife, we’ll still be good friends. Nothing will change.”

He emphasized the word good.

“We’ll live in separate rooms, take care of our own affairs, and won’t interfere with each other. There’s no need to see each other every day.”

He added, “We’d just carry the title of a married couple to avoid unnecessary troubles.”

Yun Miao found herself swayed by his words.

After thinking for a moment, she finally spoke: “… I refuse.”

“Hmm?” Xie Zhiyuan tilted his head.

“In my homeland, there’s a tradition called proposal.”

Yun Miao pointed out seriously, “A boy needs to propose to the girl he loves in a romantic setting. Only after she agrees can they become husband and wife.”

“Even if we’re entering into a contractual marriage…”

She clenched her fists. “Your proposal is far too casual!”

As a young girl in the prime of her youth, she couldn’t just marry someone so haphazardly!

The boy beside her tilted his head, pondered for a moment, and asked, “What’s a romantic setting?”

“Romantic, specifically speaking, includes stars, music, and flowers.”

Yun Miao propped her chin with her hands, her face full of longing. “Imagine this: under a sky full of stars, with beautiful music playing, someone walks toward you holding a bouquet of flowers…”

She nodded to herself. “In that situation, no one would say no!”

“I understand.” Xie Zhiyuan nodded along with her.

“No, you don’t,” Yun Miao muttered under her breath.

The boy beside her rested his chin on his hand, slightly raised his head, and gazed at the clouds in the afternoon sky, lost in thought.

Clouds rolled and dispersed, and light and shadows fell on his face.

---

Time swiftly moved into midsummer.

On midsummer days, as plums ripened and the rain washed over pine corridors, the lotus flowers bloomed in full splendor.

After accompanying the crown princess Xie Yuan in the Chongwen Pavilion, Yun Miao said goodbye to her classmate Luo Li near the academy gates and returned to the Yun residence in her family’s carriage.

The courtyard of the Yun family, the main branch of the Yin Chuan Yun clan, housed the eldest daughter’s boudoir by the water. A tall peach tree leaned against the tower, blooming every spring into a cascade of blossoms, only to shed its petals in summer like a pink and white snowfall.

Back in her room, Yun Miao often sat by the window, practicing her calligraphy stroke by stroke, occasionally pausing to gaze absentmindedly at the peach tree outside.

Yun Miao had been in this foreign world for quite some time now and was gradually adjusting to life here.

She had become close friends with Luo Li and enjoyed a good relationship with the princess. At gatherings among noblewomen, she had even made several acquaintances her age.

The girls often ventured out to the apricot orchard on sunny days or visited the Purple Cloud Pavilion on rainy ones to listen to operas, clapping their hands and singing along with the performers.

Madam Mu still frequently urged Yun Miao to quickly find a suitable match. After many instances of Yun Miao evading the subject, Madam Mu seemed to grow a little disheartened and said less about it, though she had secretly started sewing a red wedding dress for her daughter.

Since his failed proposal, Xie Zhiyuan hadn’t brought up the idea of a contractual marriage again. He continued as usual, sneaking Yun Miao out to play when no one was watching—taking her to pick lotus pods, shell lotus seeds, or eavesdrop on the crown prince playing the zither. Sometimes, he even helped her with her studies, teaching her tricks to avoid chores like calligraphy practice or rote memorization.

Outside of the Chongwen Pavilion, Yun Miao rarely saw him. As the rumors went, the third prince Xie Zhiyuan seldom left the palace, spending most of his time in the Gentle Virtue Hall with his mother, Consort Shu.

Occasionally, however, Yun Miao spotted him at the Yun residence.

Whenever he visited, it was always in a jade-trimmed carriage, wearing a refined robe, his demeanor gentle and polite as he paid respects to her father, Minister Yun.

The Minister of Revenue, Yun Cheng, courtesy name Zicheng, was a scholarly and composed middle-aged statesman. Having served as an advisor in his youth, he held an extraordinary status in the court due to both his position as the patriarch of the Yin Chuan Yun clan and his remarkable achievements.

He possessed a Heavenly Sword, a token bestowed by the late emperor to enforce justice—capable of executing treasonous officials or granting clemency to those sentenced to death.

Whenever Xie Zhiyuan visited the Yun residence, he always brought a box of fine tea and sat in the tea room with the minister.

Peering through a crack in the window, Yun Miao often saw him seated formally on a bamboo mat, sleeves tucked neatly, brewing tea with a purple clay teapot, all while maintaining a polite smile.

Yet from her vantage point, she occasionally caught a sly smile at the corner of his lips.

He always seemed to know she was watching.

A faint thunk broke Yun Miao’s thought—a small pebble landed through her window.

Startled by the pebble, she was about to cry out when a pair of hands gently covered her eyes, the warmth of their palms brushing her eyelids.

A familiar, crisp voice sounded by her ear: “It’s me.”

“Xie Zhiyuan?” she recognized his voice. “What are you doing here?”

When she opened her eyes, the boy sat on the window sill, wearing a grand robe of brocade. The deep crimson of his attire made his jade-like features appear even more refined. His hair was tied high, a small piece of white jade hanging from the ribbon—a trinket he always wore.

His appearance resembled that of an elegant young noble, untouched by the mundane world, though Yun Miao noticed the red silk wrapped around his left wrist. Beneath it surely lay his hidden weapon—a short blade with neither sheath nor hilt.

She still remembered the way he smiled while taking a life.

The boy leaned closer, tapping her lightly on the forehead with a finger. “I’m taking you out for some fun.”

“This late?” Yun Miao leaned out the window, glancing at the deepening twilight.

“Well, not exactly for fun,” Xie Zhiyuan said casually, leaning against the window frame with one elbow propped on the sill. He raised his chin slightly as he explained, “I have something I need your help with.”

“What is it?” Yun Miao asked. Over the past days, he had helped her so many times. If there was anything she could do for him in return, she was more than willing.

“I need to attend a banquet,” Xie Zhiyuan replied. “The host requires every guest to bring a female companion. Since I don’t know any other young ladies, I had no choice but to ask you.”

Yun Miao agreed and was just about to get up when he gently pressed her shoulder, tilting his head slightly as he looked at her. “Before the banquet, we need to change our appearance.”

“What kind of banquet requires a disguise?” Yun Miao blinked curiously.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Xie Zhiyuan chuckled softly.

So, Yun Miao obediently sat by the window, tilting her face upward. Xie Zhiyuan sat across from her, leaning down slightly as he placed his fingertips on her brow and focused his inner strength. His fingers lightly brushed her brow bone, nose, and lips, leaving a faintly ticklish sensation in their wake.

“What kind of disguise is this?” Yun Miao asked with her eyes closed, feeling the gentle touch of his fingers on her face.

“This is a martial art technique,” Xie Zhiyuan replied offhandedly. “Very few people in the world can perform it, but my master happens to be one of them.”

He pulled his hand away and handed her a bronze mirror. “Take a look.”

Yun Miao opened her eyes, her reflection surprising her. The girl in the mirror was still beautiful and bore a unique aura, but her features were entirely altered. Not even her own mother would recognize her.

“This is martial arts?” she murmured in disbelief.

…This is martial arts?

This was clearly magic!

Xie Zhiyuan chuckled at her reaction and swiftly changed his own appearance. Then, covering her eyes with his hand, he effortlessly lifted her in his arms and pushed the window open.

With a soft “click,” the window gently closed behind them. Their shadows had already vanished into the twilight.

---

The fragrance of summer night flowers faded as they traveled, replaced by an odd, overwhelming stench.

It was an intensely foul odor, like the reek of a sewer, making her dizzy and nauseous.

Just as Yun Miao felt she was nearing her limit; the boy pressed his fingertips lightly against her nose. A faint, fresh scent of herbs filled her senses, calming her breath.

“No matter what happens, don’t be afraid,” Xie Zhiyuan said softly by her ear. “Just remember—I’m right here with you.”

He released her eyes, standing before a massive and grotesque structure, and tilted his head back slightly. “This is Baigui Alley.”

Yun Miao opened her eyes.

Before her stood a sprawling, misshapen building—a chaotic cluster of thatched roofs and wooden planks haphazardly stacked into rooms.

One house leaned against another, houses piled upon houses, until the whole mass twisted upward into an unbalanced, disproportionate structure that seemed like it could collapse at any moment.

The whole thing resembled a crippled giant, hunched and kneeling on the ground.

Beneath the building flowed a winding, dirty river.

It wasn’t so much a river as a filthy sewer channel.

Its surface was cluttered with floating garbage, unclean debris, and even the indistinct remains of corpses, exuding a nauseating stench.

“Baigui Alley?” Yun Miao shivered at the name.

“There are 108 alleys in Chang’an, but this one isn’t officially listed among them,” Xie Zhiyuan explained. “It’s called Baigui Alley—a name coined to scare people away.”

“This is where the poor live,” he continued in a low voice. “It’s the dark underbelly of Chang’an, a place the nobility would never step foot in.”

He casually pointed to the distance. “Originally, the poor and beggars gathered in the southeastern alley, Changle Alley. But after a massive purge in the martial arts world, the defeated factions relocated here.”

“Baigui Alley is a hub for all manner of vice. Thieves, gamblers, addicts, and robbers live here. They’ve abandoned all morals—murder and theft are everyday occurrences. Even the authorities won’t intervene, finding the place too filthy to bother with.”

He glanced lazily at the stinking sewer. “See that river over there? The locals call it the Golden Sink River.”

“Golden Sink River?” Yun Miao found the name puzzling. What could it have to do with gold?

“Sounds poetic, doesn’t it?” Xie Zhiyuan smirked. “The name comes from the fact that it’s at the lowest point of Chang’an’s waterways. Sometimes, valuable items and even gold wash downriver.”

He gestured to the crooked figures fishing in the water. “Those are corpse collectors. Their job is to salvage corpses and recover anything of value—intact clothing, rings, bracelets, or even golden teeth—from wealthy victims. They sell their finds in the black market.”

Yun Miao pressed her lips together quietly.

Living near the royal palace, she rarely ventured into the outer city and had no idea such a squalid slum existed.

Despite being a high-born prince, Xie Zhiyuan seemed deeply familiar with this place.

He led her to a small, nondescript door beneath Baigui Alley. Its faded surface bore marks of age and disrepair. He bent down and knocked on the loose knocker.

With a creak, the door opened a sliver.

An eye clouded with suspicion peered out, accompanied by a raspy voice. “What brings you here, stranger?”

“Baigui Night Parade,” Xie Zhiyuan replied softly, offering what seemed to be a secret passphrase.

The door shut briefly, then reopened with a low rumble. A narrow, dim passageway appeared, and a short, one-eyed man holding a flickering lantern stood to the side, bowing in silence.

Xie Zhiyuan took the lantern, guiding Yun Miao inside.

The door creaked shut behind them, sealing off the last ray of sunlight.

“What kind of banquet is this?” Yun Miao couldn’t help but whisper.

“A banquet of blood,” the boy replied with a smile.