– RNMW- Chapter 2: Underglaze Red
by maetzy_65CHapter 2: Underglaze Red
“One hundred spirit stones.”
In the three years since Yunyi had taken the stage, she had heard every sort of oily compliment and flirtatious remark imaginable. This was the first time she had heard a voice like this.
Calm. Deep. Indifferent.
Like a lone star over a silent sea, like ancient pines rooted in stone, like bamboo bending beneath night snow in a faded old painting.
She followed the voice and looked up, her gaze stopping beneath the plaque of Heavenly Room Number One, where a pale figure stood out sharply.
Hair bound beneath a crown, white Daoist robes trailing like snow itself. Even among immortals in the clouds, he would not seem out of place—completely unlike the libertines of pleasure houses. Though separated by quite a distance, the man’s obsessive gaze pressed toward her with overwhelming force. Love and hatred intertwined to such an extreme that they seemed to dissolve into emptiness, almost piercing straight through her.
This man was not on tonight’s guest registry.
While she was still thinking, Chi You pinched her hard and whispered:
“Have you gone stupid? Do I still need to teach you what to do?”
One hundred spirit stones was practically the entire fortune of a small sect. How could it possibly be measured against ordinary gold?
Besides, this was exactly what Yunyi needed most right now.
Every prepared contingency plan instantly became useless. Yunyi steadied herself.
“Pavilion Master… who is he?”
“Jichen Daojun Jiang Xuehong, chief disciple of the Shangqing Dao Sect.”
Chi You deliberately provoked her.
“What? Our top courtesan Yun can’t handle a mere patron?”
Xunchang Pavilion had entertained rulers of the world and once repelled ancient evil gods. They had no reason to fear a single Daoist priest. No matter how noble his status was, he was still ultimately a man with ordinary desires. Once he entered Tianxiang Courtyard, would he not still be at her mercy?
Yet Yunyi still hesitated.
“A man with the bearing of an immortal coming to amuse himself in a den of demons and ghosts… doesn’t that seem suspicious to you?”
“When petals fall willingly, why not follow the current?”
Chi You twirled the pearl-adorned braid hanging at Yunyi’s side and lowered her voice even further.
“At most, it’s only one night as husband and wife. Just stay close to him and borrow more spiritual power from him. It’ll greatly help nourish your soul.”
Then she sighed.
“Other than this body, what else do you have worth coveting? If you truly refuse, I can switch you out for another girl. It’d just be a pity to waste a hundred spirit stones.”
When Yunyi first awakened, she had no memories. As merely a remnant soul lodged within a peony demon flower, she had survived only by relying on Pavilion Master Chi’s blood-nourishing jade. Three years ago, she had finally managed to take human form. But because her demon core was incomplete, she could survive only by absorbing essence energy.
According to Chi You, for a soul to shatter to such an extent, she must have died horribly—either at the hands of someone cruel beyond measure, or because of a hatred so deep she willingly destroyed her own soul.
Now that such a delicacy had been delivered right to her lips, how could she possibly hand it over to someone else?
The moment her competitive spirit rose, Yunyi discarded all hesitation. Straightening her clothes and fixing her hair, she gave Jiang Xuehong a proper bow.
“To receive Daojun’s favor is an honor Yunyi scarcely deserves.”
Inside the universe pouch were exactly one hundred spirit stones, not one more or less—paid in full on the spot.
Leaving aside how Pavilion Master Chi managed to dismiss the dumbfounded guests, Jiang Xuehong himself no longer cared about any divination on the night of the lunar eclipse. Once soft boneless hands wrapped around his arm, his disguise spell broke apart, and he completely lost his composure, stumbling dazedly into the inner courtyard.
Tianxiang Courtyard faced north to south and was furnished much like an ordinary maiden’s chamber. Only the cluster of crimson peonies blooming beside the wall stood out—flourishing proudly amidst frost and snow, their fragrance overflowing with an almost demonic allure.
With a creak, the carved wooden door was gently pushed open by fingers painted with red lacquer, and a sweet powdery fragrance drifted forward.
“Please wait outside the screen for a moment, Daojun, while this humble one bathes and changes.”
Yunyi released his arm and moved as usual to light the candles, only to be abruptly pulled back.
The sensation of skin against skin was startlingly real. Jiang Xuehong loosened his grip as if shocked by electricity, then hurriedly tightened it again.
“Don’t go.”
Without moonlight or lamps, Yunyi could only make out his nearly transparent pale face, faintly reflecting the dark blue sheen at the ends of his hair. Though he stood a head taller than her, and his overwhelming spiritual power could be felt even without cultivation senses, his presence somehow seemed lowered all the way into the dust.
“Don’t go,” he repeated.
Unable to free her wrist, Yunyi replied:
“This servant’s clothes are in disarray. I fear offending Daojun.”
“You won’t.”
Jiang Xuehong spoke slowly, word by word.
“Don’t go.”
In the darkness, Yunyi’s brows lifted slightly.
He looked detached from the mortal world on the outside, yet unexpectedly clingy.
And… strangely cute.
A dull ache belatedly spread through her wrist. Seizing the opportunity, Yunyi deliberately cried out dramatically:
“Ow, that hurts.”
Jiang Xuehong instantly let go.
“My apologies.”
The important figure of the Shangqing Dao Sect apologizing to a mere courtesan amused Yunyi greatly. For once, genuine interest arose within her. She leaned directly against him.
“Oh dear, Daojun is so rough. What if this servant can’t even light the candles now?”
Though the act was exaggerated and artificial, Jiang Xuehong cooperated with surprising seriousness. One hand supported her slender waist while the other traced a spell through the air. Sparks flew with precise accuracy, igniting every candle in the room in the blink of an eye.
Still lightly holding her wrist, he asked:
“Where does it hurt?”
The yellow candlelight outlined the sharp lines of his cheekbones and jaw as though carved by a blade. Sword-like brows rested beneath the shadows of his bangs, while a faint misty blue lingered within his emotionless eyes. Frost and snow clung to his robes and sleeves, colder even than the winter night outside.
What a heavenly face.
Even a top courtesan long accustomed to romance and desire could not help but feel her heartbeat falter slightly.
Under the warm glow of reunion-night lanterns, there could hardly be a better atmosphere than this.
Without thinking, Yunyi tilted her face upward toward those beautifully shaped lips. Yet Jiang Xuehong turned his head before she could touch him, leaving two smudges of rouge stamped upon the underside of his jaw instead.
The air instantly froze.
The top courtesan of the renowned Xunchang Pavilion had taken the initiative to kiss someone… and been rejected?
Rejected by the very man who had spent a fortune for her?!
Sensing the chaotic heartbeat of the woman in his arms, Jiang Xuehong hurriedly added:
“My apologies.”
Yunyi trembled with anger from head to toe, though she could hardly lash out openly. She complained bitterly:
“Does Daojun despise me that much?”
A natural immortal physique—a walking sacred mountain of spiritual power—yet he refused to let her benefit from any of it.
Jiang Xuehong steadied her upright. After a pause, he said:
“I’m not used to it.”
He looked exactly like a modest scholar being improperly harassed. Yunyi widened her beautiful eyes.
“Has Daojun never visited a pleasure house before?”
“Pleasure house?”
Tch. So it really was his first time.
Haste only led to failure. She could only proceed slowly.
Outside, the watch drums sounded intermittently through the night. Sitting before the mirror, Yunyi leisurely removed the flowers and ornaments from her hair, allowing her dark hair to cascade down like a waterfall.
The man reflected in the mirror remained perfectly motionless.
She removed her outer robe as well, leaving only a pink-and-white chest-wrapping dress. Her shoulders, neck, and collarbones were pale as carved jade, every inch overflowing with allure.
And yet Jiang Xuehong showed not the slightest reaction.
He stood rigidly in place, cold eyes fixed upon her. Rather than lust, his gaze resembled some indescribable obsession—unyielding, inescapable, relentless unto death.
For the first time in her life, the top courtesan truly doubted her own charm.
Could this Daoist… perhaps be incapable?
Silence spread throughout the room. Yunyi was finally driven beyond endurance by his strange inaction and devised another plan.
“Daojun Jiang, I have no strength left. I must be exhausted from dancing.”
As soon as she finished speaking, her body tilted weakly sideways.
Something about her limp appearance clearly struck a sensitive nerve. Jiang Xuehong’s expression tightened instantly as he stepped forward.
“Yunyi.”
His low voice was exceptionally pleasant to hear.
Yunyi wrapped herself completely around him, retreating in order to advance, deliberately rubbing against him with her shoulders and arms.
“My head is spinning terribly. I want to rest by the bed for a while.”
Still, Jiang Xuehong did not move, as though he failed to understand her meaning.
Cursing inwardly, Yunyi added:
“Could you carry me there?”
Jiang Xuehong froze briefly. Seeing her continue her exaggerated act, he finally lifted her into his arms. After glancing around the room, he walked directly toward the large nanmu canopy bed at the innermost side.
One had to strike while the iron was hot—and push further inch by inch.
Yunyi tightly looped her arms around Jiang Xuehong’s neck, refusing to climb down no matter what. She insisted he hold her while seated at the bedside and spoke in a soft, coquettish tone:
“Give me a little sweetness, Daojun, and I’ll let go.”
“What sweetness?”
Though their posture was intimate, there was not the slightest trace of passion in Jiang Xuehong’s eyes. He merely directed spiritual power over the finger marks on her wrist.
For one cultivating the demonic path in soul form, a single kiss, a night of passion, or even sleeping together could allow her to draw spiritual energy.
But how could such intentions ever be spoken aloud?
The candlelight in the room gradually dimmed. At some point, her thin dance skirt had ridden up to her thighs. Her skin was smooth and delicate, though not soft and fragile like a sheltered noblewoman’s. Instead, it carried the elegant contours unique to a dancer. Beneath the layered folds of her skirt lay scenery worth fortunes to glimpse within the pleasure quarters.
Yunyi toyed with the hair ribbon adorned with black-and-white jade pendants and hinted in a languid voice:
“Daojun’s grace is unmatched. Even the slightest dew or rainfall bestowed upon Yunyi would be a tremendous blessing.”
In her previous life, when asking him for spirit artifacts, she had used this exact same method—hinting, teasing, and seducing bit by bit.
Jiang Xuehong’s expression softened slightly.
“Where were you in the second year of Qingyuan?”
Yunyi lightly tugged on his ribbon.
“Daojun is the head of a great sect. Surely you can tell how shallow this servant’s cultivation is?”
She had heard that she had only taken human form three years ago and had forgotten all memories of her former life.
Did she truly remember nothing of those entanglements of love and hatred?
A thousand questions pressed against his chest, unable to emerge. Yet if she truly remembered, she would never speak to him with such warmth and gentleness now.
Something complicated flickered through Jiang Xuehong’s eyes. Rather than looking at her pale legs, his gaze shifted instead to the pearls decorating her braids.
“Your senses are dull. Is your soul damaged?”
His perception was frighteningly sharp. Yunyi hurried to cover it up.
“It’s nothing serious.”
Two translucent pearls decorated each braid, shimmering brilliantly. She never removed them, not even while bathing. That was because they were no ordinary ornaments, but genuine soul-stabilizing pearls. Back then, she had spent quite a bit of affection and flirtation obtaining them from a spoiled young immortal noble.
Jiang Xuehong asked no further questions. Chanting a spell beneath his breath, he drew several strands of glowing white light from his fingertips and guided them into the soul-stabilizing pearls.
Yunyi jolted in alarm, terrified he might destroy the treasures sustaining her life.
“What are you doing?!”
Jiang Xuehong had not been on guard. She pushed him backward onto the couch, yet his tone remained utterly steady.
“This soul-stabilizing pearl is not of the highest quality. I have infused the Infinite Guiding Art into it. Together, the two can ensure your soul does not scatter.”
“Infinite Guiding Art?”
“One of the Dao Sect’s secret treasures. It can gather and bind all things.”
Supporting herself above him, Yunyi eyed him skeptically.
“And why would you give a secret treasure to me?”
“Your soul is injured.”
“My soul is injured, so you give it to me?”
“Mm.”
Rumor had it that Jichen Daojun cared for nothing in the world. Could he truly be this eager to help others?
Spiritual energy flowed through her meridians without causing the slightest discomfort. Instead, she felt her strength steadily recovering.
Yunyi had seen countless kinds of men and prided herself on understanding nine-tenths of their worst instincts. Yet faced with this cold-faced but soft-hearted Daojun Jiang, she realized for the first time just how narrow-minded she had been.
Separated only by the bed curtains, so close their breaths nearly mingled, she narrowed her eyes at him.
“To gift a spirit artifact to a stranger you’ve only just met… Daojun truly has no other intentions?”
“Yunyi.”
Jiang Xuehong lifted a strand of her hair. His voice was clear and cold, like jade struck by ice.
“It is good that you are alive.”
Those dark blue eyes resembled stagnant water untouched by even the gentlest breeze. Yet now they reflected the girl before him, softening inexplicably, lowering an immortal into something more human.
Yunyi’s heart skipped chaotically. She was just about to press further when knocking sounded at the door.
A young maid called from outside:
“Would my lady and Daojun like some wine to liven the mood?”
The finishing move had arrived.
“Bring it in.”
Yunyi rose and smoothed her hair.
If seduction alone failed, then strong wine would surely succeed.
A moment later, two open porcelain cups rested quietly beside the bed.
One was underglaze blue porcelain. The other was underglaze red porcelain. Both contained the same Nine-Brew Spring Wine.
The only difference was this:
The blue porcelain cup contained a sleeping powder.
The red porcelain cup contained an aphrodisiac effective on both immortals and demons alike.
By habit, Yunyi first reached toward the blue porcelain cup. But recalling Jiang Xuehong’s utterly unmoved demeanor earlier, her hand paused midway.
Over the years, countless nobles and aristocrats had flocked toward Tianxiang Courtyard. Yet only Yunyi knew the truth: those supposed nights of passion were nothing more than drunken illusions induced by medicinal wine. She was too proud to give herself to anyone. Even knowing dual cultivation was the fastest way to repair her soul, she had never lain with a man.
Her slender fingers lightly touched the long braid at her side. The pearls upon it glimmered faintly in the darkness. Her mind felt clear, her meridians smooth, her soul more peaceful than ever before.
One who receives a peach should return jade in gratitude.
A faint light flickered in Yunyi’s pink eyes as she decisively picked up the underglaze red porcelain cup.
Turning back, she saw Jiang Xuehong still sitting silently by the bedside. The candles had already burned halfway down. His black-and-white robes blended into a single cold darkness layered upon itself, carrying the chill of snow.
Once desire burns through your body, will you still be able to keep those Daoist robes on?
Yunyi mocked inwardly. Yet outwardly she respectfully presented the wine before him with both hands.
“This is Xunchang Pavilion’s special hundred-year vintage. Would Daojun care to try it?”
Jiang Xuehong glanced lightly at her hands, reddened by the cold night air, and once again said for no apparent reason:
“Don’t leave.”
“Tonight, Yunyi belongs only to Daojun.”
Jiang Xuehong looked at her quietly for a long moment before finally lifting the cup and draining it in one swallow.
Yunyi watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. Then she pressed herself close beside him again and casually attempted conversation.
“What has Daojun been doing all this time before today?”
Jiang Xuehong answered without hesitation:
“Looking for you.”
“What a smooth talker.” Yunyi curved her eyes in amusement. Using the excuse of keeping warm, she moved even closer to him before asking again, “Then what does Daojun plan to do from now on?”
Jiang Xuehong froze slightly.
For two hundred years, all he had done was search for Lu Qingyi. He had never once considered what he would do after finding her.
“Where do you plan to go?” Jiang Xuehong asked in return.
Yunyi answered casually:
“Wine today, drunkenness today. Since I remember nothing of my past, I naturally care little for the future either.”
But he cared.
“Then… would you come with me to the Shangqing Dao Sect?”
Yunyi could not help laughing softly.
“Is Daojun planning to buy back my freedom?”
Jiang Xuehong looked puzzled, clearly not understanding what “buying back her freedom” meant.
Over the years, countless men had spoken of redeeming her freedom. Yet it was always nothing more than fleeting fascination born from lust. Jiang Xuehong’s status was lofty beyond measure, and Yunyi did not take his words seriously either. She gently declined instead.
“Daojun walks far above the mortal world. Yunyi would not dare reach so high. If one day you happen to remember me and come sit idly at Xunchang Pavilion for a while, that would already be enough.”
The medicinal wine was beginning to take effect. Fighting against waves of dizziness, Jiang Xuehong stubbornly asked:
“Come with me, alright?”
I’ve already given you spirit stones and secret treasures. Don’t disappear for another two hundred years.
Yunyi loosened the ties across her chest and softly collapsed into his embrace. Bewitching demonic light surfaced in her eyes.
“Does Daojun wish to take me in?”
Her voice shimmered with moisture just like her gaze. A pure lotus transformed into a seductive demon flower—jade-like face, crimson eyes, enchanting both heart and soul.
Long ago, beneath spring-chilled blossoms, someone had once teased him in half-playful complaint:
“Why keep chasing me? If you’ve got the ability, then just take me in already!”
Jiang Xuehong could barely tell dream from reality anymore. His hand rose to caress her face as his voice trembled.
“Don’t go.”
Don’t go, Lu Qingyi.
Yunyi only smiled without answering.
As the final candle burned out, her chest wrap slipped loose in the darkness with a soft rustle. Her fingertips brushed over the man’s dry lips through layers of silk.
“Then let me take in Daojun instead… how about that?”
The moment her voice fell into his heart like a drop of water, it turned instantly into fire.
And the wasteland ignited at a single touch.