On the first level of the Silver Stag, Wu Ling joined Su Xiang and Yao Meifeng along with Chen Luli. Gathered together, the three women presented a remarkable study in contrasts.
Su Xiang presented herself to the world as what many would call an ideal swordswoman. Her sapphire eyes held a fierce glint, her sword-like brows had been sculpted to neat points and she carried herself with the confidence of someone who had both the physical and martial strength to see herself safely out of many dangerous situations. While her sword cultivation hadn't turned her into any kind of overly muscled brute, her compact frame nonetheless spoke of a lean and well-trained physique.
Yao Meifeng, on the other hand, resembled everything a cultured young lady could be expected to be. Her build was incredibly petite, barely crossing one hundred and fifty centimeters and her features could almost be called 'doll-like' with perfectly smooth skin and large, dark, phoenix-shaped eyes. She wore her long dark blue hair in a complicated series of looping braids that ensured not a single strand fell out of place to interfere with her zither playing and her neat, plum-colored robes matched closely with the rich shade of lip stain she'd applied to her small pert lips.
Chen Luli, joining the group between the two, felt far less like someone who had been shaped by any kind of formal environment. The curvy woman wore a loose dress with a plunging neckline, exposing a deep valley of cleavage that almost threatened to spill out should she lean over too far or breathe too deeply.
Wu Ling couldn't help but believe that both the way she dressed, from the flamboyantly busy pattern of the dress and its near scandalous cut were a form of armor to create a 'performing persona' that titillated as much as her flute playing did. With less shocking clothing and a more conservative hairstyle for her cascading auburn locks, she was sure to attract less attention and likely fewer people following her home from her performance.
"Junior Brother Wu," Yao Meifeng said, stumbling only slightly at addressing her former classmate as 'junior brother.' "Thank you for helping. My wrist really was about to give out on me."
"Senior Sister Yao was always hard-working," Wu Ling said with a smile. "But I'm surprised that you're here alone. Where's your fiance? Didn't you get engaged to someone from the Xiao clan right before you graduated? He should be here watching out for you," he said in a disapproving tone.
There was a reason that young ladies of status like Yao Meifeng often traveled with a personal guard, even when she had yet to awaken. If she wasn't traveling with a guard, it should be because her fiance had taken up the responsibility of being her protector but Wu Ling saw no trace of the man.
Yao Meifeng deflated, instantly looking embarrassed. "Um, actually, I'm not engaged anymore," she finally said. "Xiao Ju Bo managed to break through to become a middle-stage Brawler and he joined the Crimson Flame Saber Hall which should have been a good thing but," the doll-like musician hesitated before pressing on.
"He was caught by a Senior Brother in the bed chambers of the Senior's cultivation companion. The Senior slew them both on the spot," she finished, hanging her head in shame.
"That's horrible!" Su Xiang exclaimed. "Those kinds of things never happen in the Shining Blade Hall. How could someone be so…. So…" Su Xiang's voice trailed off as her face grew increasingly red, images of the ill-fated lovers coming unbidden to mind.
"I'm sure it happens at the Shining Blade Hall," Wu Ling countered, taking a small cup of wine and drinking it down. "It's just, the Shining Blade Hall likes to think of themselves as virtuous defenders and champions of light and all those things. If anyone is sneaking around in the sect having affairs, they're just much, much more careful about hiding it and the whole sect likely works to cover it up if anything ever happens," he said.
After all, Wu Ling had seen firsthand how the sect dealt with people it no longer wanted within its walls. Once you were on the outside looking in, the cracks were much more visible.
"We get people from the Crimson Flame Saber Hall in here all the time," Chen Luli added while shaking her head. "All that fiery yang energy just looking for somewhere to explode. The owner hasn't banned them from coming here yet, but he's threatened to a few times. They get extra handsy with the girls working here too," she said sourly.
"And with people like that around, Senior Sister Yao's family still lets her come here?" Wu Ling said surprised. Looking around the room, he didn't see any sign of the late-stage Brawler who had accompanied her to and from class when she was in school. In fact, he didn't see anyone who seemed to be looking out for her in the crowd aside from the horde of men casting covetous looks at her and jealous glares at him. How could a distinguished young miss of the Yao family work in a place like this without anyone to protect her when she left?
"Well, my family doesn't really have anything to say about it," she said, staring deeply into a cup of wine she hadn't been able to bring herself to drink yet. "Technically, my engagement was to the Young Master of the 'Ju' branch of the Xiao Clan so everyone tried to insist that the engagement was still on, just transferred to Xiao Ju Bo's younger brother Xiao Ju Bingwen, but I couldn't accept that!" Yao Meifeng's voice rose sharply and she pounded a small fist on the table, nearly spilling her cup of wine before she brought herself and her voice back under control.
"Everyone fought over it for weeks. When my family agreed to have me live with the Xiao clan until Xiao Ju Bingwen was old enough for us to marry I just…ran. I've been hiding here in the Outer Blossom Ward ever since."
"What was wrong with Xiao Ju Bingwen?" Su Xiang asked, eagerly snacking on spicey boiled peanuts. She never heard gossip like this in the sect and she wanted all the juicy details.
"Do you even need to ask?" Chen Luli said with a derisive snort. "If he was anything like his brother, he probably had his head up the skirts of countless other women. Who would want to be with a man like that? Sister Yao needs a man who will watch out for her, like a kind junior brother who brings ice to the stage and plays her set for her," she added with a wink.
"It, it was, wasn't like that," Yao Meifeng stammered, ignoring the comment about Wu Ling, or at least trying to. "There's nothing bad about Xiao Ju Bingwen except that I'm twice his age! He's only nine years old! I couldn't let myself be engaged to someone so young, we don't even know if he'll manage to become a cultivator or not. And moving in with the Xiao clan? It was a trap," she said, intensely disgusted by the idea.
"The Ju branch is an Outer City branch of the clan but they're always working to curry favor with the main branch of the clan in the Inner City. Who knows how long it would be before they'd pass me off to some other young master, conveniently 'transferring' the engagement to turn me into someone's second wife or worse. I'm not a doll, no matter what I look like," she pouted, crossing her arms and frowning deeply.
"No, Senior Sister Yao is an enchanting fairy with a delicate temperament and a musical gift that belongs where it can be appreciated," Wu Ling said, reaching out and taking Yao Meifeng's petite hands in his own. "These fingers were meant for bringing joy, not for clinging to the bars of a bird cage. You and your music should be free," he said sincerely.
"I, I don't know about free," she said, blushing fiercely and struggling to meet his silvery gaze. "But if Junior Brother wanted to come play with me here again, I'd welcome the chance to play together like we used to."
"I can't do that," Wu Ling said, hanging his head and sounding like it was a great tragedy. "This kind of place, it's not good for me. Just look at how the folks around here are all glaring at me for keeping so many beautiful fairies all to myself tonight," he added with a wink.
"But I do want to play with my Senior Sister again. If the weather is good these next few days, I could take Senior Sister to the Southern Star Gazing Garden to play together. The early cherry trees are just starting to blossom, perfect to enjoy with a budding beauty," he added, gazing into her eyes warmly and giving her hands a light squeeze.
"Ah hem," Su Xiang coughed from her seat. "You're not forgetting about someone over here, are you little brother?"
"Of course not," Wu Ling answered with a disarming smile. "Big sister is always welcome to follow me anywhere I go. I do have two arms, you know, I can escort two enchanting fairies. Senior Sister and I can even play something special just for you and Yue… maybe 'Blossoms in Snow'?"
"You! That's no fair using Yue as a bribe," she said, crossing her arms in a huff. "'Blossoms in Snow.' You promised," she said as the rest of the table fell to laughter at her antics.