Perception

As a structure perched upon the back of a colossal bird with a wingspan of nearly a hundred zhang, the black eagle pavilion was truly immense, encompassing five floors in all. Xu Yuan and the others occupied the top three floors, while the bottom two served as living quarters and work areas for the servants. Indeed, servants resided within this pavilion: a steward, guards operating the formation arrays, cooks, and, above all, an abundance of pretty young maidservants. Stepping out of the guest chamber, one could spot them in every hallway. Roughly twenty of them, taking shifts day and night. Having signed indentured servitude contracts, they were tied directly to the pavilion, essentially an extra perk that came with purchasing it. As long as one had coin to spare, Tian'an Chamber of Commerce prided itself on providing comprehensive service right to one's doorstep. Emerging from the chamber, Xu Yuan stepped onto a corridor lined with an impeccably maintained, luxurious fur carpet that gave off a faint waft of incense. Catching sight of Xu Yuan and Lou Ji, several maidservants waiting along the corridor curtsied in unison. "Third Young Master." Hearing the singular form of address, Xu Yuan instinctively glanced sideways at Lou Ji. Lou Ji raised a hand, tapping Xu Yuan lightly on the forehead with a soft chuckle. "Not just anyone can see your big sister. And even if they could perceive my presence, they wouldn't see my face unless I wished it." Though she never hid herself before Xu Yuan, that was solely because he was Xu Yuan. Even without a muli veil or any garments concealing her appearance, outsiders could not make out her features in the slightest. Even the masters of major sects had no idea what she truly looked like, retaining only the impression of an enigmatic, venomous viper of a woman. On second thought, it made sense; someone handling intelligence work was hardly suited for showing her face in public. Yet to accomplish this so effortlessly, it was likely due to her permanently deployed Dao domain. As Xu Yuan pondered this— *Click.* With the sudden unlatching of an adjacent door from within, Xu Yuan snapped his head aside and instinctively raised a hand to rub his cheek. Damn it. He remembered that he had forgotten to wipe something off his face. Crafted from mind-sobering wood, the door opened without the faintest sound. As it swung wide, a slightly petite, slender figure appeared expressionlessly in the doorway. Those azure-gold eyes swept over Xu Yuan, who had his back turned, and the tall, curvaceous temptress beside him. Wiping the kiss mark off his face, Xu Yuan turned back slowly, meeting a gaze as cold as ice. Reaching out a hand toward her with a gentle smile, he began: "Tian—" *Bang!* Following that frosty glare, the door slammed shut with heavy force. "..." Xu Yuan stood frozen. Lou Ji giggled at the sight and playfully stoked the fire. "Why is the Saintess heading back into her room to sulk today without uttering a single word? She used to argue with me for a bit before..." Before her words could finish— *Zzzzt!* A faint whistle came from the door. A soft gust of wind brushed past the tips of their hair, and Xu Yuan noticed a tiny pinhole pierce the wooden panel. Something had shot straight through the door at a speed invisible to his naked eye. Instinctively looking back, he saw Lou Ji raise a delicate hand behind him, two slender fingers pinching an ornate hairpin that had been hurtling directly toward her forehead. Lou Ji inspected the hairpin with keen interest, then called out softly toward the closed door with a smile: "The Saintess is so roundabout when giving gifts. This hairpin is quite exquisite, so your big sister won't refuse your courtesy." With that, the woman casually pocketed Tianyan's hairpin into her Sumeru ring. "..." No response came from inside the room. Just as Xu Yuan was debating whether to go in and coax her, Lou Ji forcefully dragged him away. A few breaths after they departed, the wooden door to the chamber on the other side of Xu Yuan's room quietly opened. Bai Muxi cautiously poked her head out and surveyed the corridor. A thoughtful glint flashed through her bright eyes before she strolled over to Tianyan's door. Before Bai Muxi could knock, Tianyan's crisp voice drifted out from inside. It sounded cold, seemingly masking an underlying sense of grievance: "What is it?" Bai Muxi's eyes flickered, and she spoke in an undertone: "Before her departure, Her Highness Wuyuan instructed me to study the Reversed Origin Six Elements Art under the Saintess." "..." After a moment of silence, the door swung open. Tianyan cast a chilly glance at the woman outside, then turned back into the room and took a seat on a prayer mat. "That woman didn't teach me the complete art. What I can impart to you is limited." "Understood. Her Highness Wuyuan has already informed me of this." Bai Muxi stepped inside, sitting opposite Tianyan. She carefully observed the girl's impassive expression. "Saintess... are you angry?" Tianyan looked as though her fur were about to stand on end. "Did you come here just to mock me?" Throughout the journey south, she knew all too well that Bai Muxi was fond of playing petty tricks. If Li Qingyan had not kept a firm hand over her, Bai Muxi might have climbed into that bastard's bed countless times by now. Li Qingyan had deliberately taught only half of the cultivation method to her precisely so that she could keep this woman in check. Two scheming, calculating women. Hearing this, Bai Muxi quickly shook her head, speaking softly and meekly: "The Saintess misunderstands. Though I possess some modest charms, I know full well that in the Young Master's heart, I am merely a concubine. How could I dare mock you?" "..." Tianyan's lovely eyes narrowed slightly. Though the woman spoke with utter sincerity, Tianyan still felt an underlying barb. Wait, concubine? Tianyan stared at her, asking in a clear voice, "Did you confer that status of concubine upon yourself?" "..." Bai Muxi was taken aback by Tianyan's question, but she soon realized that a gap existed between her perception and Tianyan's. In the underground palace, the strong possessed absolute rights in choosing their partners; polygyny and polyandry were entirely commonplace, simply because the offspring of the strong stood a far greater chance of becoming cultivators. As for the etiquette of Great Yan that she had learned, the fundamental outlook differed little from the underground palace, merely dressed up in grander, more hypocritical trappings. On the journey south toward Guangyang Prefecture, the Saintess and the princess had constantly been at each other's throats. Bai Muxi had assumed all along that the Saintess and Her Highness were vying for the position of the young master's primary wife. Knowing that neither her status nor her bond with the young master was sufficient to contend for that place, she had openly called herself a concubine to signal her willingness to bow her head and remain subordinate. After all, compared to the unfathomably shrewd Princess Wuyuan, this straightforward, candid Saintess was visibly much easier to get along with—and easier to fool. Yet now it seemed she had been mistaken. And egregiously so. This Saintess was not fighting for the position of primary wife at all; she wanted the young master entirely to herself... Looking at that cold gaze, Bai Muxi suddenly found the Saintess a bit naive, even childish. Having emerged from a land of sheer despair, she had never known a lifelong romantic devotion, but she knew all too well the boundless depths of mortal desire... Yet that was beside the point. What mattered now was whether the Saintess's perception would work to her own advantage or detriment.