The gray-and-iridescent flame crept up to the darkness. It coaxed it and pleaded. There was a back and forth, almost comedic at this point, where the darkness begged for the flames to spare it. They came to an agreement, and the darkness crept into the flame. The colors within it deepened. He was left with a gray flame with iridescent tongues of fire more vivid than any he’d seen before. The mirrors vanished then, and so did the circle. Only the unlit torches remained.
Cha Ming lit them, not with the Clear Sky Flame, but with the Concept of Iridescent Flame that now burned deep within his spiritual sea. It sat next to his soul, which had just recently broken through to the next level. The darkness had tempered it, and it had been reborn from that single spark of iridescent understanding.
That spark guided him through the darkness of the hallways, lighting up torches along the way. He followed the light into the maze before him, no longer avoiding the darkness, but embracing it.
Chapter 32: The Fox and the Piper
It was well past midnight when Wei Longshen stepped out of the shadows and into a dimly lit corridor. He walked past three paintings and three lamp lights, stopping only at the third door, where he knocked, and there he waited. Three seconds passed before a woman answered, more confused and curious than expecting.
“What the blazes are you doing here?” Cao Shufen hissed, pulling him inside and shutting the door behind them.
“I thought I’d pop in to pay a visit,” Wei Longshen said nonchalantly.
“In my room, in my family’s manor?” Cao Shufen said incredulously. “Bypassing alarms and guards? Are you insane?”
“Entrances are very important,” Wei Longshen said, looking around. “Nice room, by the way.”
She flushed in embarrassment and proceeded to run to various corners and put away whatever indecent items she could get her hands on. Cao Shufen apparently liked red a whole lot, and most of her things were various shades of it. “You’d better have a good reason for being here,” she said after getting most of the chaotic mess in order. “Now tell me, how did you get in?”
“I have my ways,” Wei Longshen said. He cleared his throat. “My apologies, I find myself thirsty.”
She rolled her eyes and grabbed a pitcher of water. She heated it with her hands and poured him a cup. Then she bowed in an exaggerated manner. “For you, Young Master Wei.”
“No tea?” Wei Longshen asked, eyeing a half-full pot of still-warm tea on a nearby table.
“Tea is for guests who enter the proper way,” Cao Shufen said crisply. “And definitely not for men who enter a lady’s room unannounced, in the middle of the night after sneaking into her house.”
“In my defense, you did pull me in,” Wei Longshen said. “I believe that counts as an invitation.”
She threw her hands up in the air, got him a seat, and started brewing. It was only when they both had a cup in hand that she finally calmed down.
“Now then, where were we?” Cao Shufen said. “Let’s start with how you got into my house.”
“The how, unfortunately, is a performer’s secret,” Wei Longshen said. “Therefore, I suggest we get to the why.”
“Fine,” Cao Shufen said. “What do you want?”
“That really depends on what you have to offer,” Wei Longshen said. “I’ll be honest—I’m not perfectly clear on how much authority you have around here. It’s why I suggested we start with the why. But no matter, I’ll switch to the how instead. As in, how much authority to you really have around here? They say you’re a decision maker, but no one seems to know exactly what you decide and who you answer to.”
“I’m well-protected,” Cao Shufen said. “Why would I let my enemies get that kind of information? Battles are won or lost on intelligence.”
“The vagueness remains,” Wei Longshen said, taking a sip of his tea.
“Your intrusion makes me reluctant to share,” Cao Shufen said. “Very well. If you must know, I take care of most things when my brother is gone.”
“That’s good, that’s good,” Wei Longshen said. “That simplifies things greatly. I had assumed your father played a bigger role in this game.”
“My mother takes care of most of the politics, so people assume Father takes care of the rest,” Cao Shufen said. “We’ve done nothing to indicate otherwise. My father does spend a great deal of time in his office napping. I wonder if that’s why he didn’t spot you coming in and how you got into my house.”
“I see,” Wei Longshen said, ignoring the unasked question. “If only my family wasn’t so dependent on our own patriarch. In hindsight, I would have taken on greater responsibility before being forced into it. He’s doing well, by the way. Despite having almost been killed by your family’s assassin.”
She flinched.
“They say he might be conscious within the month,” he said. “Until then, I’m managing most of everything in his stead.”
“You must have access to relics of great power to have snuck into the manor,” Cao Shufen said. “I can only assume you used such a trick to get in here.”
“Let’s ignore the how for now,” Wei Longshen said. “Just ask the question.”
Cao Shufen’s eye twitched. “Fine. Why are you here?”
Wei Longshen grinned. “I’m here to ask you for a favor. A big one. I require some help with a mission that I cannot accomplish on my own. Said mission would definitely run against your brother’s interests. Tell me: If you were to ask your elders to assist in such a thing, how many would help you?”
“You’re asking a lot of questions and not giving any answers,” Cao Shufen said, crossing her arms.
“Come now,” Wei Longshen said. “Tell me, and I’ll give you the answers you desire. My word on it.”
“Four,” she said. “Now it spit out.”
“Four,” Wei Longshen repeated. Yes, if I had four, and some information, that would do. “Excellent. Before I get to the rest of it, I wanted to let you know of some recent changes to my father’s structure. Due to my father’s… predicament, I have been authorized by my family to make certain decisions. Very personal decisions.” Seeing that she didn’t quite get it, he clarified. “I have been authorized to make certain decisions that are typically made by parents.”
Her eyes widened at the implication.
“I see,” Cao Shufen said, suddenly interested. “So you’re telling me that in exchange for my help for something my brother won’t like, you can make certain arrangements? Arrangements that will make both me and my family very happy? What could it be, I wonder? Whatever could it be?”
“You’re an intelligent woman, so I’m sure you’ve guessed it,” Wei Longshen said.
“I don’t want to,” she said. “You may go now.”
Wei Longshen took a long, deep breath and leaned forward. “I am currently very distraught, and very helpless,” he said. “Life was going so well for me, and now everything’s fallen to pieces. My father is gravely wounded, my friend was killed, my clan was hamstrung, and my engagement terminated. I tried to be selfish just once in my life, and it blew up in my face. Now I’m here begging you for a favor because I can’t bear to ignore a lady in distress. Please, Shufen, help me.”
“You’re not coming from a very good bargaining position,” Cao Shufen said. “When Wenluan returns, he’ll get married. Your father will eventually wake, and he’ll see the way the wind blows. We’ll be married within the year.”
“If you refuse to help me, I will cut off all ties with my clan,” Wei Longshen countered. “Your family will never sleep comfortably, for they will be haunted by ghosts of the fallen. Cao Wenluan will try to find me, but he won’t be able to. I’ll be the elusive nightmare you’ll wish you never created. And I’ll make sure he knows who’s responsible.”
“You wouldn’t,” Cao Shufen said. “Your family means everything to you.”
“And I’m currently very upset and very desperate,” Wei Longshen said. “You don’t want to cross a man when he’s desperate.
” He looked into her eyes, and he saw her hesitate. Yes, she saw the truth of his words. He wasn’t rational right now. It was one thing to bargain with a sane man, but a madman? That was something else entirely.
She looked away. “All right,” she said. “Let’s say I’m considering your offer. What are you planning? What stops you from rescuing the girl and running away with her?”
“I’ll swear it by contract if that’s necessary to convince you,” Wei Longshen said.
“It would be,” Cao Shufen said.
“Very well,” Wei Longshen said. “We’ll write something up. You can take care of the paperwork. As for my plan, I won’t rescue her. I won’t even see her. I will help someone else perform the rescue, and then I’ll stay in this city.
“Once she’s long gone, I will naturally become the most eligible bachelor in the prefecture. You, as the most eligible young lady in the Cao Clan, will become a very reasonable match. No one need ever think this was a pressured thing. The optics will be wonderful compared to your imagined alternative of my father pushing me into the relationship. You’ll have me come to you willingly. A perfect ending.”
“Except for the fact that I’ll always know I was your second choice,” Cao Shufen pointed out.
“Alas, such is life,” Wei Longshen said. “If it’s any consolation, I think I’m probably a better match than whoever else your brother might find in the capital.”
“A fair point,” Cao Shufen said. “And you need four elders?”
“More, if possible,” Wei Longshen said.
“Four. No more, no less,” she said evenly. Drat. He’d been had. “But I will give you information that will prove useful. Our clan has been collaborating with the Mi Clan for security.”
“I appreciate the gesture,” Wei Longshen said.
“I must warn you in advance, however,” Cao Shufen said. “I will not do anything that overtly upsets my brother. Everything must be covert. I can’t let him know it was me who hurt him.”
“Sisterly love?” Wei Longshen asked. “I didn’t take you for the type.”
“More like sisterly fear,” Cao Shufen said. “He’s dangerous, Longshen. Everyone around him suffers when he’s angry. He’s an animal who’s tasted blood, and he won’t stop until someone puts him down.”
“I see,” Wei Longshen said. “You’re not overly attached to him, are you?”
“He haunts my nightmares,” she replied. There was a flicker of fear in her eyes. Something had happened to her once. “He’s not a man; he’s a beast. Best avoided, if possible.”
“Then I’d like to make one thing clear before we finalize this,” Wei Longshen said. “Because if I’m going to share a bed with you, I want us to be on the same page.”
“Already with the crude remarks?” Cao Shufen said. “I didn’t take you for the type.”
“I despise your brother, Cao Shufen,” Wei Longshen said. “In fact, I loathe him. I pray that you bear no love for him. Because regardless of our relationship, I fully intend to surpass him. And when I do, I will crush him. I will catch him in my web. I will rip out his ghost and use his body as a puppet.”
Cao Shufen gulped. “As long as you know what you’re up against.”
“I do now,” Wei Longshen said. “I’ve paid dearly for that information.”
“Forget what you think you know when it concerns him,” Cao Shufen said.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Wei Longshen said. “So there you have it. My plan. My price. My intentions. If you’re fine with those three things, we can seal this devil’s bargain.”
Cao Shufen nodded. “All right. I’ll talk to the four. Perhaps I can even make it five, if only to earn some goodwill with my future husband.”
“Any additional help would put me further in your debt,” Wei Longshen said. He drank the rest of his tea and put down the cup.
“Would you like me to walk you home?” Cao Shufen asked, glancing toward the door.
“That won’t be necessary,” Wei Longshen said. “I know my way around.” He left through that same door and closed it, then walked into the shadows. He vanished just as her door was opening, before she could catch a glimpse of the entrance. For every great entrance, there must be a great exit.
“Took you long enough,” Huxian said as Wei Longshen stepped through. “I thought you’d been caught.”
“Come now, how could they ever catch me?” Wei Longshen said. “Your work is impeccable. Nice touch with the portal. Adds an air of mystery.”
“Presentation is everything,” Huxian agreed. “How did it go?”
“It’s done,” Wei Longshen said. “We’ll iron out the details, but you’ll have your cultivators. On the day of the duel, when most of the city is distracted, we’ll help you pull off your master plan. Though I wonder—do you need any more help? You’ve asked for so little.”
“Says the man who agreed to marry someone so his true love could run away,” Huxian said. “Nope. I’m good. I’d rather stay in control of the situation. No offense.”
“None taken,” Wei Longshen said. He hesitated. “When you get her out, I’d like you to do something for me.” He sighed and looked away. “Tell her it’s over. Tell her I’ve changed my mind and I’m marrying Cao Shufen.”
“That doesn’t sound like the best way to break the news,” Huxian said. No way was he dealing with all the crying that would happen afterward.
“It needs to be done, Huxian,” Wei Longshen said. “She needs to be certain it’s over. Otherwise, she might want to come back. She might push you to stay.”
Huxian hesitated. “Look, it’s not like I’m against it in principle, it’s just that the last time I talked to her, she wasn’t exactly in a good mood. That kind of news could break her.”
“Then use this,” Wei Longshen said, taking out a familiar thin strip of paper.
Oh. Oh. He’d recognize that calligraphy anywhere. “That’s Cha Ming’s,” Huxian said, crossing his arms.
“He gave it to me as a preemptive engagement present,” Wei Longshen said. “I know she won’t take the news well, Huxian, but I’m confident she’ll eventually pull through. If you have trouble convincing her to leave, however, please use this talisman on her. I’ve been told it’s good for cheering people up.”
“That’s manipulation,” Huxian said. He picked up the talisman. Ouch, he thought. That’s totally the original. He’d upgraded it, but it was the very same talisman he’d made just after losing Yu Wen. It seemed Huxian had underestimated his brother’s feelings for Mi Fei.
“It’s a helping hand, Huxian,” Wei Longshen said. “When your brother gave this to me, he told me to use it to help her out if she ever needed it. I can’t think of a better time than now.”
“All right,” Huxian said slowly. He stowed the talisman and promised himself not to use it unless he really had to. Then again, there was something oddly poetic about the situation. As a demon, it pleased him.
“Before you arrange the rest of your plan, I thought I should let you know something,” Wei Longshen said. “You’re planning to run away to the prefectural tower after you get her out, are you not?”
“Maybe,” Huxian said. He hadn’t told him that part of the plan.
“Well, assuming that’s the case, I’d like to remind you that the prefectural tower has a teleportation array,” Wei Longshen said. “It would be a very convenient method to get her out of here fast.”
Right. Right. He’d totally forgotten about that. They’d never been important enough to use that function in any of the prefectures they were in, but he’d heard that pretty much all the prefectures in the kingdom were connected by it. He could work with that. But really, Wei Longshen was too naïve. Running away to the capital of the Brightmark Kingdom wouldn’t get them away from Cao Wenluan.
“You worry about your own plans,” Huxian said. “Just give me that opening.” Then his clone vanished, reuniting with his body, and taking the talisman with it.
Chapter 33: Dazzl
ing Light of the Weeping Flame
The maze took hours to traverse despite the path lit by iridescent torchlight. There were no monsters or traps awaiting to ambush him, though there were illusions and compulsions aplenty. Cha Ming’s only defense against these creatures were his iridescent flames. They absorbed the doubt and confusion they sowed and converted them into raw will that eased the darkness in the maze.
At the exit of the maze, Cha Ming found a large empty hall. There was no one here despite the ample seating and the tables of refreshments. He moved past them—they were obviously not harmful, but he didn’t have time to waste. Instead, he proceeded to the back wall of the room, which was covered in tinted glass windows. There were ninety-nine of them, and each one was backlit with its own gentle source of illumination.
“Is a trial administrator available?” Cha Ming asked out loud. He received no reply. “I just wish to know if all techniques here are suitable for humans.”
“You will need to rely on luck and knowledge to choose the right one,” came a reply from the many stained-glass windows. “Those not marked as taken are available.”
“Thank you for your guidance,” Cha Ming said with a bow.
He walked along the length of the wall, marvelling at the wondrous artwork. It took real craftsmanship to breathe life into tinted glass as one would a painting. One window depicted the Iridescent Ancestor fighting off hordes of demons, burning them away with large swaths of flame. In another, she’d surrounded herself in an impregnable sphere of flame that soaked up damage before shattering and destroying everything around her.
There were names above each window, impressive-sounding ones like Burning Fields of Iridescent Might and Iridescent Shell of Splendid Reversal. And below each nameplate was a small candle. The fact that there were twenty-nine unlit candles and most of these were at the center of the room, that meant that only those with a lit candle could be attempted. He had no illusions that his competitors had already picked the best of them.
Claddings of Light : Book 12 of Painting the Mists Page 50
