Chapter 17
The Jade Veil accord was meant to be signed in a week.
It was a pact that happened every half a decade between three of the most powerful sects in the central continent. If it succeeded, the internal wars would cease for a particular time. Trade would flourish. Borders would open.
The three sects involved, Heaven Tear, Crimson Lotus, and the Wisteria Empress Sect, were all expected to arrive at the Jade Veil Sanctum exactly seven days prior, as tradition expected.
Each sect would host a banquet, present their strongest disciples for a tournament, and parade their honor.
Yet, the Wisteria Empress Sect was late.
A full day passed since the arrival deadline.
Two days after Heaven Tear and Crimson Lotus had arrived at the sanctum.
And still, the alchemical peacocks in violet had not shown up.
In the sanctum, the heirs of the sects waited patiently for any news of the Wisteria Empress Sect.
The two sects sat on the marble terrace of the fifth floor of the sanctum, banners flapping in the cool mountain breeze. Attendants moved around serving snacks and tea.
Yu Miaoran stood beneath a carved pavilion of jade, arms crossed, her brow furrowed. Beside her, Cui Huang chewed absentmindedly on a medicinal herb, leaning against a jade pillar like it was any other boring day.
But it wasn't.
In six days, the accords had to be signed. They were one sect away from the most important treaty in the last fifty years and one of the key players were late.
"I'm telling you, they're not coming," Cui muttered around the herb. "Maybe bandits got 'em."
Yu Miaoran narrowed her eyes. "The Wisteria Empress Sect? Killed by bandits? You'd have better luck swallowing your sword than believing that."
Cui Huang chuckled. "Would've made things easier, though."
Before she could respond, a gust of scented wind swept through the fifth floor.
Then a horn blew.
The gates to the sanctum gently opened. From it emerged an envoy of violet robed disciples. Unlike when The Crimson Lotus and Heaven Tear arrived, the Wisteria Empress Sect were neat and smelled of perfume. They looked well fed and well rested, not even a single speck of dirt on their robes. Even their footwear was neat.
And at the front, walking like she owned the place was the heir to the Wisteria Empress Sect.
Shao Yanli.
She was a beautiful young woman with light blue eyes and blue hair. The robe reached her legs, but there were slits at the side up to her waist. The upper part was just as revealing, her waist was cinched by silver vine embroidery.
Yu Miaoran, Liang Chen, Cui Huang and his own advisor Zhao Su, a woman with long blonde hair and crimson eyes, boarded Fengxiao and the hawk soared down the Sanctum to the ground to greet them.
"Apologies for being late," she said, her voice was as soft as silk and sounded too innocent for what she was wearing. "We… overslept."
Yu Miaoran blinked. "You… overslept?"
Yanli tilted her head. "Yes. We were practicing a new blend of nightshade-infused dream elixirs and lost track of time. The dreams were divine. We really must share them with you sometime, Sister Yu."
Yu Miaoran just stared at her.
Cui Huang snorted.
"You almost missed the accord because of a nap?" Yu Miaoran said, her voice rising slightly. Even she couldn't believe what she was saying.
Yanli offered a smile so dazzling that her teeth glinted. "Beauty sleep is a sect doctrine, you know."
The rest of her disciples bowed gracefully behind her, not even one of them had a look of apology.
Of the three sects, the Wisteria Empress Sect had always been the cockiest. Renowned for their seductive natures, spiritual beauty, and mastery of alchemical poisons, they rarely bothered with diplomacy, let alone punctuality.
Yu Miaoran pressed her fingers to her temples, rubbing them.
Cui Huang was already walking away, muttering, "One of these days, I'm going to spike their tea."
"Don't," Yu muttered, "they'd probably thank you for the 'new experience' and write a poem about it."
Yanli stepped forward again, her eyes glinting with subtle mischief.
"And you must be the famed Liang Chen?" she asked, turning toward him as he stood behind Yu Miaoran.
Liang Chen said nothing.
He had a blank expression but there was something in his stare that made Shao Yanli shiver.
She blinked.
"Oh…" she said, something unreadable flickering behind her eyes. "You're… interesting."
Liang Chen gave her a half-smile.
"And you're late."
Yanli paused. Then she smiled again. It was a bit too wide
"And you're rude. But perhaps I like that."
Yu Miaoran looked between them.
"Oh no," she muttered. "No no no no—"
Cui Huang, from across the courtyard, yelled, "Don't flirt with the blood reaper!"
Yanli ignored them both.
She turned and gave a little twirl, her robes billowing like violet petals.
"Come now," she said, striding toward the Sanctum's inner gates. "We've got accords to sign, banquets to host, and egos to bruise."
Her disciples followed swiftly behind her.
"Mark my words," he said, "we're not getting out of this week without poison, betrayal, or a love triangle."
…
That evening, a dinner was held by the heirs of the three sects.
Liang Chen dressed in sleek black robes with red lotus embroidery. He let his curly dark hair fall to his shoulders, his pale olive skin gleamed with vitality, his silver grey eyes glinted.
The banquet hall was situated on the sixth floor of the sanctum. It overlooked the azure river. The air smelled rich and elegant. Rain lightly patted on the roof of the banquet hall.
The food was just as rich and elegant. Meals Liang Chen never though he'd see getting eaten, were being eaten.
There were swan hearts boiled in wine.
Golden eel wrapped in lotus leaves.
Silver dumplings filled with spiritual mushroom paste.
Glazed firefruit and moonroot pudding stacked like little towers.
When he walked in head turned. Many were marvelled by his good looks. The same people marvelled by his good looks couldn't help but shudder as he passed. There was the faint smell of blood emanating from him that unsettled people.
Shao Yanli, seated at the Wisteria table, let out a soft gasp, quickly masked by a sip of wine.
She was already lounging on a cushion like a bored empress, her legs were crossed, her lilac robes were body hugging that accentuated her features. One hand swirled a wine cup, the other toyed with a strand of her soft blue hair.
"Blood Reaper," she cooed as he took his place at the Crimson Lotus table. "You clean up well."
Liang Chen didn't look at her.
"I don't clean. I'm simply reborn," he said simply, taking his seat beside Yu Miaoran and pouring himself a cup of tea.
Cui Huang nearly spit out his drink.
Zhao Su, seated across from them, smirked faintly and leaned closer to whisper something in Cui's ear. Whatever she said made his eyes widen.
"She's really looking at him like he's dessert," Cui muttered. "Like, fifth course dessert."
Yu Miaoran was gripping her wine cup a little too hard.
Shao Yanli didn't stop looking.
Every few seconds, her gaze would land back to Liang Chen like a curious cat who'd just spotted an unfamiliar bird.
"So cold," she said, as if musing to herself. "Do they train you Crimson Lotus boys to speak in riddles, or were you simply born that brooding?"
Liang Chen didn't even blink. He tore apart a piece of golden eel with his chopsticks and calmly dipped it into a black vinegar sauce. "I was born hungry," he said. "Brooding came later."
Yanli gave a soft little laugh, like wind chimes swaying in a storm.
"You're lucky I find mystery intoxicating," she said, leaning her cheek against her hand. "Because if I were any other woman, I might find that attitude... insufferable."
He met her gaze.
"If you were any other woman," he said, "you wouldn't be speaking to me."
There was a pause.
Cui Huang whispered, "Is it weird that I'm starting to ship it?"
Zhao Su took a long sip of wine. "It's not weird. It's suicidal."
Yanli didn't seem discouraged by the remark. In fact, she looked thrilled.
"Oh, I like you," she purred. "You're all thorns and daggers. So different from the prancing boys I'm used to dealing with."
Liang Chen looked at her for half a second. "Maybe that's because I don't need perfume to be poisonous."
"Ooh." She placed a hand dramatically over her chest. "That one hurt. Right here. I might need an antidote… or a second dose."
Yu Miaoran let out a very audible sigh.
"Could we please go five minutes without someone trying to romantically disembowel someone else?" she muttered.
"I didn't try to do anything," Yanli said with a grin. "I'm simply admiring the scenery."
"More like trying to climb it," Cui added under his breath.
Yanli turned her attention to her goblet, swirling the wine in her hand after taking a sip.
"Still," she said, raising the cup, "we are here for something more than clever insults and killer stares."
She stood.
The hall quieted slightly.
"To new beginnings," she said. "To a century without war. To open borders, shared dreams, and perhaps, just perhaps, a little more understanding between us all."
Her eyes flicked toward Liang Chen.
"To peace."
Liang Chen stood as well, raising his own cup"To restraint," he said softly, "...however temporary it may be."
Yu Miaoran rolled her eyes but clanked her cup to theirs. "To the Accord. And no poison in the pudding, please."
Cui Huang raised his goblet with both hands. "To not getting assassinated."
Zhao Su tapped her cup lightly and added, "To the prettiest dagger in the room not being aimed at our backs."
They drank.
The tension in the room eased a little.