At the Bamboo Silk House, Yao Meifeng and Su Yao were discussing what to prepare for their evening meal when a knock at the door interrupted their planning.
"Lady Su, Lady Yao," a mortal worker greeted them when Su Yao opened the door to their small suite. "I have a letter for Lady Yao, from Young Lady Wu in Bufa City," she explained, bowing deeply and extending both a neatly folded letter and a small rolled canvas.
"Bufa City?" Su Yao asked, looking at Yao Meifeng in confusion. "I thought Senior Sister Wu was adventuring in the wilderness."
"I'm sure the letter explains," Yao Meifeng said, after thanking and dismissing the servant. "Um, I'd like to take a look first and then I can tell you what A'Ling had to say," she added, her cheeks flushing red as she spoke.
Since she began cultivating the Requiem of Frozen Heart, Yao Meifeng's disposition had slowly become calmer and more placid, resembling the surface of a still lake. Mentions of Wu Ling, however, would instantly send ripples across the stillness of her heart, proving to her roommate that she still possessed the heart of a young maiden.
"Big sister is already calling him so intimately," Su Yao teased with a smile. "I'll make tea while you read."
Once Su Yao had entered the kitchen, Yao Meifeng slid a lacquered nail underneath the wax seal on the letter and began to read. As expected, even Wu Ling's correspondence was written with a beautiful and graceful hand, the characters on the page giving the impression of great care and affection as he wrote the letter.
My Mei'er,
Already, I've been away more than a month and the world has grown too quiet without your gentle music. In the morning, when the mist rolls across the lake and the air is cool and crisp, I play my half of our duet. In the quiet moments, I wish I could bring you away to accompany us, but when danger strikes, my heart is easier knowing that you're safe in the sect…
.
The letter went on to explain, in brief sentences, the significant events of the expedition so far. From the assassination of Nalan Jiang to the battle with wolves, the pursuit of the Mountain's Bones gang, and even his own breakthrough, and reawakening. The only thing Wu Ling withheld from the letter was his conversation with his master.
"So, what does Senior Brother have to say?" Su Yao asked, serving tea only when it looked like her roommate had finished the letter. "Did he mention how my cousin is fairing on their journey? Have they been well?" she asked, eager for any news since her cousin's escape from the overbearing Elders of the Shining Blade Hall.
"He has several pieces of news to share," Yao Meifeng said with a sad smile, wishing she could have accompanied him on such an exciting journey. "Including a few surprises. Somehow, Fang Lin has joined their group. He was nearly killed by a spirit beast and they had to spend almost a month just waiting for him to heal."
"How did Young Lord Fang join the group?" Su Yao wondered aloud. "I thought he was terrified of the dangers outside the city." According to Wu Ling's retelling of his meeting with Fang Lin's friends at the banquet, the young lord had all but cowered at Wu Ling's suggestion that he should join an expedition into the wilderness.
If that was true, then just what was he doing joining Wu Ling and her cousin Xiang venturing deep into the mountains for a journey that would last until both of them reached the second stage? It seemed not only impossible but unwise and from Wu Ling's letter, Fang Lin's injuries proved why it was unwise for him to go.
"From A'Ling's words, it seems he's still a coward, though he may be getting better," Yao Meifeng said, thinking about the way Wu Ling had phrased things when he mentioned the wounded Scholar.
"Since he didn't say anything praiseworthy," she continued. "I don't think Fang Lin has demonstrated any qualities that would make him worthy of your hand. If he'd proven himself to be a better man than A'Ling suspected, I'm sure he'd have mentioned it in his letter."
"I'm not even thinking about marriage anymore," Su Yao said firmly. Since leaving home and moving into the suite with Yao Meifeng, she'd found new joy in the minor freedoms of life away from her parents. From simple things like choosing to shop for her favorite fruits and pastries to making decisions about her path in cultivation, she felt more in control of her life than ever before.
Now that she'd had a taste of freedom, she was no longer as eager to trade the shelter of her parent's household for the shelter of a husband's. Instead, she wanted to learn to stand on her own first. There was so much to learn that she felt like a husband and family would only prevent her from finding the strength to follow her own path.
Perhaps when she'd made some achievements she would be willing to consider romance again, but for now, her heart was content with learning the many lessons the sect had to teach. Cultivation, as the seniors said, was never ending and she was in no hurry to turn away from it to pursue love.
"I have an idea for dinner," Yao Meifeng said, bringing up their earlier conversation about what to prepare for their evening meal. "A'Ling sent a painting with the letter, and he shared a few pieces of good news. I think we should open the painting with Mother Wu. If we arrive early enough, we might be able to help Sisters Jieyan and Yingxu to prepare a special meal to celebrate."
"Celebrate? Is the news that exciting?" the younger woman asked.
"It is," Yao Meifeng said, a slight giggle escaping her lips as she imagined the reactions of the senior sisters who cared for Wu Ningli. How would they react when they heard that Wu Ling had already passed them by, becoming an Understudy while they were still late-stage Aesthetes? "Come, let's go visit Mother Wu," she said with a smile.
When the pair arrived at the Wu residence with news of a letter from Wu Ling, they were eagerly welcomed and quickly helped the two Senior Sisters who watched over Wu Ningli to create a small celebratory meal. Wu Ningli even asked for help moving from her room to the courtyard to enjoy the evening air with the young women.
"You said that Ling'er sent a painting?" Wu Ningli asked, looking at Yao Meifeng with a warm smile. "Can you show us?"
"Here it is," Yao Meifeng said, eagerly unrolling the canvas Wu Ling had sent. "Wait, there's something unusual about it. It feels like there's an energy lingering in the paints… It should be safe, shouldn't it?"
Nothing about the painting felt dangerous and Yao Meifeng was sure that Wu Ling would have mentioned it in her letter if she needed to take precautions with the painting. At the same time, the more she learned about the Bamboo Silk House the more she realized things could be hidden in plain view. If he'd included a secret or warning in the painting that she hadn't learned to recognize yet, she didn't want to risk doing the wrong thing and ruining his gift.
"Pass it over here," Wu Ningli said, holding out her crippled hands to take the canvas gently between her palms. "He really is racing ahead with his art, isn't he? There's a trick to paintings like this," she added with a smile.
Closing her eyes, Wu Ningli circulated the smallest thread of energy through the canvas, bringing the painting to life in the way Wu Ling had meant for it to be seen. When she did, an entire wall of the courtyard rippled and shimmered, transforming into the view Wu Ling had painted for them.
They could see the soft waves of the lake lapping at the shore, hear the faint croaking of frogs hiding in the tall reeds, and even smell the faint scent of woodsmoke from the campfire burning near the bamboo huts of the humble campsite.
"So this is where Senior Brother has been staying," Su Yao said, marveling at the illusion manifested from the canvas. She'd heard of painters using their art to create illusions but the only paintings she'd seen Wu Ling bring to life were his Guardian Beasts. To think his art could do something like this as well.
"It feels like it's incomplete," Yao Meifeng said as she gazed longingly at the scenery, imagining herself sitting next to Wu Ling on the shore while he painted.
"Not like he didn't finish, but like, like he was longing for something to complete the scene," she added softly. At the beginning of his letter, he mentioned playing his half of their duets. The painting contained even more of his longing for her to complete the beautiful scene of the sunrise over the misty lake.
"I think we all know who he's longing for," Wu Ningli teased, allowing the illusion to fade and passing the painting back to Yao Meifeng. "Before you return to the sect, I'll teach you the trick of activating the illusion so you can view it whenever you like."
"Thank you, Mother Wu," the younger woman said, tucking the painting away like it was her greatest treasure. "I have more news to share," she added. "A'Ling has managed to both break through and to reawaken. He's now an Understudy and a Drifter," she announced, beaming with pride.