Chapter 53: The Immortal Fairy of Mount Tai

The back hall of the White Cloud Temple is known as the Moon Hall. Because a towering precipice stands directly behind it, on nights illuminated by a bright moon, the celestial maidens of the Mount Tai Sect would dance with swords upon the cliff, as though residing within the Palace of the Moon—hence the name.

To enter the Moon Hall, aside from the exorbitant admission fee, one not only needed a specially crafted purple jade tally as proof of identity, but was also required to compose a poem on the spot.

The Martial Adjudicator had long since prepared the tallies for them, but when it came to composing poetry, neither Zhu Wen nor Tian Jun possessed such capability.

Fortunately, Lan Suting was quick-witted and accomplished the task with a flowing brush, inscribing a five-character quatrain on a sheet of plain paper using the elegant hair-pin script, with white clouds as the theme.

Flitting and settling with sun and moon,
Gathering and parting through ancient and time.
Towering high, the body remains pure,
Forever accompanying the mortal heart.

Upon reading the poem, the gate-keeping Daoist nun could not help but clap in praise and admiration. "This verse is untrammeled, elegant, and effortlessly natural, possessing a Daoist charm uniquely its own. Water vapor rises with the sunlight to form clouds, and between their gathering and dispersing, does it not mirror human life and worldly affairs? Moreover, the word 'Moon' from 'Moon Hall' is cleverly embedded within it."

"To compose on the spur of the moment and possess such talent—for this young gentleman to show such literary grace and romantic flair at such a tender age, his future is boundless."

Lan Suting felt a slight flush of shyness. "The fairy flatters me too much."

Zhu Wen leaned close to Tian Jun’s ear and whispered, "The poem is fine enough, except for the saying 'clouds follow the dragon, winds follow the tiger.' Since you weren't written into it, it seems this person is no Little Dragon Girl at all, but truly a tigress."

"The title of 'Azure Dragon' was personally bestowed upon me by Commander Kou! 'White Tiger' belongs to that scoundrel An Renyi, and besides, I have no idea whether he has any sisters, nor whether those sisters of his are tigresses."

"You were born in the twelfth year of Dazhong, in the Wuyin earthly branch year, under the sign of the tiger. And you still claim you're not a tigress?"

Amidst their whispered exchange, Zhu Wen suddenly realized that Tian Jun was not actually old at all, being only nineteen years of age this year. He wondered if, in a few more years, she might grow any wiser.

Tian Jun was choked with anger, profoundly regretting that she had ever revealed her birth year to Zhu Wen.

Crossing the vestibule into the Moon Hall, one was greeted by melodious strains of string and bamboo instruments, the air suffused with a faint fragrance of orchids. The interior decorations were simple and austere, yet possessed an innate Daoist taste and style.

The hall was illuminated by Seven-Star Lamps, and the walls were hung with numerous calligraphies and paintings by renowned masters, alongside depictions of celestial maidens. Directly ahead stood the divine statue of the Bixia Yuanjun, before which incense sticks and offerings of fruits and vegetables were presented.

The distinguished guests entering the hall all assumed meditative postures upon grass cushions scented with herbs. There were no high tables in the hall, only low side-tables, perfectly suited for the guests sitting on cushions to enjoy their wine and delicacies.

The hall was as warm as spring, and everyone entering had removed their heavy cloaks and outer garments. Furthermore, owing to the sanctity of the Daoist sanctuary, all attendees were required to wash their feet and change their shoes. Tian Jun changed into a pair of wooden clogs, and upon Zhu Wen's suggestion, she removed the front cleats from the clogs.

"What a wretched place, not even a chair..." Tian Jun had not finished speaking when Zhu Wen clamped his hand over her mouth.

Lan Suting said softly, "Elder Sister Jun, chairs only became widespread during our current dynasty. At the founding of the state, even princes and nobles sat directly upon the floor."

"Is that so?" Tian Jun pushed away the hand with which Zhu Wen had muffled her.

She had truly gained some insight. "Even so, it's been two hundred years, and this place still doesn't provide its guests with chairs..."

"Otherwise, how would it differ from anywhere else?" Zhu Wen remarked. "Why do so many celebrities and dashing gentlemen bypass Yangzhou and instead come to such a remote and desolate place as Mount Tai to spend a fortune as if it were dirt..."

However, many of the male guests within the hall had already cast wave after wave of envious glances in their direction, their eyes staring straight.

They whispered among themselves upon their cushions.

"Why is someone even bringing a woman into the Moon Hall?"

"It's over. Having laid eyes on this pair of large feet, this gentleman will never be able to fancy three-inch golden lotuses again for the rest of his life."

Hearing this, Zhu Wen could not help but glance down at Tian Jun's feet.

Tian Jun was not a whit shorter than him, so naturally, her feet could not possibly be small.

Yet the shape of those feet was utterly faultless: her ankles were like pearls, her arches like moons, and her skin possessed a luster and texture like silk satin.

Her toenails were bare without the slightest trace of polish, yet their natural jade-like hue surpassed even the finest henna.

The clogs, stripped of their front cleats, caused those feet to rise gently onto tiptoe, resembling swans about to ride the wind and fly away. The tight leather straps binding the insteps against the clogs made the pale blue veins beneath the skin exquisitely distinct down to the finest detail.

Zhu Wen abruptly discovered that Tian Jun's feet were not dark at all; compared to her face and hands, they were far fairer.

While that naturally heroic and spirited face possessed an extraordinary, robust athleticism paired with her wheat-toned complexion, the underlying tone of Tian Jun's skin was probably not deep at all—she merely tanned easily from the sun.

Another piece of evidence was that upon removing her outer tunic and leaving only the high-waisted pleated dress on her upper body, the pair of jade-mountain-like fragrant shoulders thus revealed were also significantly fairer than her face and neck.

Those slippery shoulders of a beauty, sinking into collarbones deep enough to hold water and raise fish, possessed a soul-captivating allure that was scarcely less than that of her swan-like feet.

Some distinguished guests already had female Daoist adepts of the Mount Tai Sect keeping them company with wine, but upon catching sight of the great beauty by Zhu Wen's side, they suddenly felt that both the wine and the "celestial maidens" had lost their appeal.

"Such feet and long legs, such a figure—coupled with that disdainful and lofty gaze of hers... If I were allowed to marry her, I'd willingly give up ten years of my life."

"Ten years? I'd willingly give up twenty years of my life, and gladly so!"

"Such a peerless creature—I wish I could hold her feet in my arms day and night and kiss them for a lifetime."

"Even if she stepped on my face, I'd feel like I was floating away to immortality."

"Where on earth did that brat get such good fortune to hold such an peerless and beautiful bride?"

"A kept pretty boy, obviously! It's a pity that beauties in this world judge people by their covers and fail to appreciate the learning and profound depth of us brothers..."

Zhu Wen leaned close to Tian Jun's ear and whispered, "It seems what I said earlier wasn't entirely wrong. In the eyes of certain men, you are probably better-looking than my junior sister."

Unexpectedly, when a pair of large feet walked, they too moved with every step as if dancing, seeming to tread upon clouds and step upon falling blossoms.

Moreover, the long legs attached to those large feet were so sturdy, well-proportioned, and flawless.

Tian Jun was left speechless. As a heroine who had galloped across battlefields, it would have been one thing if others appreciated her facial beauty, but to have them scrutinize her figure with such ill-intent and critique her piece by piece only made her blood boil.

Zhu Wen took Tian Jun's hand and sat down beside those men. "A few worthy brothers, discussing other people's family members behind their backs is hardly proper, is it?"

"Family members?" asked a young man dressed as a scholar. "Is this lady your wife?"

Zhu Wen contentedly grasped Tian Jun's slender and delicate hand. "Fiancée. There shouldn't be much difference from a wedded wife."

Before coming, finding the texture not to his liking, he had used a small pedicuring knife to meticulously and cleanly pare away the calluses on Tian Jun's hands left from practicing with the spear; now, her hand felt exceptionally soft and smooth.

She was paid to do a job, so Tian Jun could only pull a long face and nod slightly, taking it as tacit consent.

A chorus of jeering sighs erupted around them.

"Then why aren't you lingering in a nest of tenderness, and instead come to a place like this?" asked a bearded fellow of about thirty. "Right, don't look at me; I don't have such a fine wife at home."

"Accompanying my younger brother to experience the wider world." Zhu Wen's gaze drifted casually toward Lan Suting.

The crowd all turned their gazes over, only to see Lan Suting lowering his head in silence, whereupon they all wore expressions of sudden realization. "For this young gentleman to be so youthful and bashful, how could he dare to venture into this romantic and elegant place without an older brother to lead the way?"

"Your honorable wife is truly understanding and reasonable as well, not stopping you, but simply following along."

"To marry a wife is to marry virtue," Zhu Wen said without a change in expression or a skipped heartbeat. "When I took a fancy to her back then, it was because I loved her virtue and propriety—it had not the slightest bit to do with her looks or figure."

These words were so dripping with vinegar that the company instantly wanted to hurl their wine cups at Zhu Wen's face.

Someone asked, "Might I dare ask your honored surname and great name?"

"Though unworthy, my surname is Qin, with the single given name of Yan. As for my younger brother, you may call him Young Master Qin."

"Qin Yan?" another person asked in surprise. "I've heard that under the banner of the rebel leader Lord Wang Xianzhi, there is also a General Qin Yan..."

"Same name and surname; there are plenty of people called this." Zhu Wen wondered if the real Qin Yan was sneezing abruptly right about now.

At that exact moment, the sound of bells and stone chimes suddenly rang out. Zhu Wen hastily said, "Hush now, the celestial maiden is about to take the stage to perform her dance."

In the center of the Moon Hall stood a lofty stage, serving as the place where the most beautiful and talented celestial maidens of the Mount Tai Sect displayed their arts.

The grand hall was also divided into two tiers. The second tier could be reached via a staircase, running solely along the perimeter of the hall. Guests of supreme wealth and nobility could ascend to this second tier, looking down upon the central performance from private rooms. Whatever they chose to do inside, no outsiders could see.

A troupe of female Daoist adepts fluttered past like startled geese, moving sequentially along the plain-colored carpets; some carried swords while others cradled zithers, all possessing lovely countenances. However, the leading figure had her features veiled in light gauze, obscuring her face from view.

While the maidservants of the Mount Tai Sect wore garments of dazzling and gorgeous colors, the female Daoist adepts all favored an austere and simple style, pinning their waist-length hair with cold jade hairpins, draping smoky gauze mantles over light gauze Daoist robes, wearing modest makeup and plain shoes—truly resembling celestial maidens drifting down on mountain winds and misty vapors.

Many of the men's gazes still lingered on Tian Jun, but as the strains of strings and songs arose, everyone's attention gradually converged upon the high stage.

They saw that the leading woman wore a pair of bright red satin shoes with white damask high soles, which made her tall figure appear even more slender and graceful.

Among her accompanying maidens, some plucked zithers, some played pipas, some blew flutes, and some danced with swords, all serving merely as foils to the lead celestial maiden.

As the music drifted leisurely, the celestial maiden slowly unfurled her arms. Suddenly, her smoky, light gauze sleeves whipped outward, and as she danced, it seemed as though countless flying petals were drifting and fluttering down from mid-air, drawing out an unceasing, faint fragrance with every petal.

The sound of the flute grew increasingly urgent, and her movements grew ever faster. Her jade-white, delicate hands turned and lingered, her skirts fluttered, and her figure possessed an indescribably alluring, undulating curve.

Streams of shimmering light seemed to dance across the arena, and framed by the light gauze, her entire figure resembled a flower glimpsed through mist, hazy and ethereal.

Like swirling snow returning in light flutters, she spun with an effortless grace; like a startled dragon soaring away, she moved with captivating brilliance. When she lowered her hands, she was like a willow lacking strength; when her skirts trailed obliquely, it seemed as though clouds were about to form.

Her musical dance was fluttering and ethereal, possessing both an otherworldly, celestial elegance and a soul-stirring, haunting allure.

The leading woman still had not removed her veil, but her ethereal dance and the cherry lips partially revealed as her veil fluttered slightly were already enough to intoxicate the beholders.

Suddenly, someone whispered softly, "It's the Shadow-Flitting Fairy!"

"The Shadow-Flitting Fairy, the foremost of the Five Marvels of Fairy Clouds of the Mount Tai Sect? Isn't her musical dance always reserved for the grand finale? How is it that she's appearing right at the start today..."

"There's no such rule; the Shadow-Flitting Fairy's appearances have never had a fixed time. Sometimes she isn't seen for months, while others are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her celestial countenance upon their very first entry into the Moon Hall."

Zhu Wen said to Tian Jun beside him, "Aren't you annoyed by those people staring at you indiscriminately? This woman hasn't even taken off her veil, yet she's instantly stolen all your thunder."

Tian Jun did not know what to say for a moment, and after a long while, she remarked, "I've never heard of any Shadow-Flitting Fairy."

"Some say she's the greatest beauty in the world," Zhu Wen said, then abruptly lowered his voice to tell Tian Jun, "However, I don't believe it."

"Why don't you believe it?" Tian Jun asked in puzzlement. "Because seeing is believing?"

"No need to see. Even if it were Xi Shi or Imperial Consort Yang of our current dynasty, in my eyes they'd be nothing much—mere beauty specially trained simply to please men. Wang Zhaogujng pacified the border for her country, now she was a person of substance. Daji was also said to be a heroine of her generation, only to be slandered by the Zhou Dynasty."

Tian Jun stared blankly for a long while before she understood Zhu Wen's meaning. "You took such a huge roundabout way with these unorthodox words—were you seemingly praising me?"

"You're my wife now; if I don't praise you, who should I praise, you foolish girl?" Zhu Wen rolled his eyes, maintaining his style of telling Tian Jun only half of a compliment.

Tian Jun bit down on her pearly teeth to curb the impulse to thrash Zhu Wen right then and there.

As the tune and dance came to an end, the light gauze on the Shadow-Flitting Fairy's face drifted down, and instantly the hall seemed flooded by a mesmerizing moonlight.

After a stifling silence, frenzied cheers filled the entire hall, and countless bolts of red and damask silks rained down upon the high stage, converging into a magnificent and peerless storm of brocade.

Lan Suting sighed softly. "Just as the poet Bai Juyi wrote: 'The youths of Wuling vie to toss their rewards; for a single tune, the bolts of red silk are beyond count'—it must be like this."

Yet Zhu Wen merely nodded slightly.

Purely in terms of appearance, this Shadow-Flitting Fairy was indeed an absolute masterpiece among mortals.

She possessed both clear, delicate, and flawless facial features, as well as a mysterious aura as hazy and misty as smoke.

Her demeanor was dignified yet gentle, at once noble, elegant, and yet somehow stirring one's protective instincts.

Yet Zhu Wen always felt that she lacked the genuinely aloof and lofty air of a true celestial maiden, and even more so lacked the inner depth of "having the ambition to soar into the clouds when touched by frost, rather than acting as a clinging, flattering flower with fragile bones."

She was beautiful, certainly, but in his eyes she seemed like an exquisitely flawless vase.

Of course, expecting a "celestial maiden" from the world of romantic dissipation to meet the aforementioned standards was asking altogether too much of her.

"How is this? Older Brother seems rather indifferent to that Shadow-Flitting Fairy?" Lan Suting tugged at Zhu Wen's sleeve and said softly, "Even I am somewhat moved."

Shadow indeed possessed a face that could move even women to stir with emotion—it was truly a creation blessed and kissed upon the lips by the Goddess Nüwa.

"If I merely wanted to see a face so pretty it needs no makeup, I could just look in the mirror." Zhu Wen felt no shame whatsoever.

Upon hearing this, Lan Suting looked closely at Zhu Wen's face. "That's true as well."

"How can you be so shameless?" Tian Jun pinched Zhu Wen's hand fiercely.

She had gained just a sliver of cunning, knowing that if she pinched his waist, her hand would be firmly intercepted halfway by Zhu Wen.

"What are you few discussing? Might you share it with Shadow as well?"

A remarkably clear, melodious, and gentle voice rang out abruptly.

Tian Jun widened her eyes in sheer disbelief.

Zhu Wen caught Tian Jun's hand and rapidly traced the two characters for "secret passage" upon her palm. As for whether Tian Jun could comprehend it, that was no longer his concern.

Shadow was not Lord Wang Xianzhi, the alliance leader of the Shaking-Robes, and naturally lacked any magical footwork that could shrink the earth. For her to suddenly vanish from the high stage and reappear beside them could only mean there was a secret passage upon the stage.

This was knowledge Zhu Wen had picked up as a child when he hid backstage at a theater troupe to figure out the principles behind illusions—though the result back then had been getting dragged out and given a sound thrashing.

"We were discussing how the fairy possesses an unrivaled grace and talent, unmatched in all the world," Zhu Wen replied with calm and unruffled ease.