Chapter 25#
Threading the Needle#
Only after going upstairs did they realize that Shi Tang’s seemingly light bundle was actually a magical artifact. While slightly inferior to a Qiankun Ring, it had the advantage of being usable by ordinary people.
She brought at least thirty sets of skirts and dresses, ranging from simple silk skirts of humble families to complex and elegant palace attire, and even costumes from the Western Regions and Southern Borders. There were all styles and colors; opening a shop with them wouldn’t be a problem.
These dresses covered the entire bed. Xiao Man and Mo Juntian stood side by side before the bed, looking for a long time, neither knowing what to choose.
“Don’t worry, I’ve never worn these,” Shi Tang said in a low voice. “Just pick what you like, don’t be restrained.”
“Mm,” Mo Juntian responded dully, stepped forward, and took a silk skirt the color of the sky after rain.
Xiao Man’s choice was also very simple: a pale, light water-blue with no embroidery or decoration.
As the two picked up their dresses and were about to leave, they heard Shi Tang add, “Don’t just pick one; choose a few more to change into.”
“…Miss Shi is truly thoughtful.” Xiao Man had no choice but to take another one.
Mo Juntian did the same.
They each took their dresses back to their own rooms. Xiao Man closed the door and was about to let out a breath when he saw a certain black-clad, silver-haired fellow appear.
Yan Wushu sat cross-legged on the couch, looked over the items in Xiao Man’s hand, and leaned forward curiously: “What kind of tactic is this?”
Xiao Man hid Shi Tang’s dresses behind his back, pursing his lips and remaining silent.
“From your previous conversation, the Unheard Bell should be in that little girl’s hands. You struck a deal with her to help fulfill a wish before you can get the bell.” Yan Wushu leaned back, pulled out his folding fan to toy with, and analyzed unhurriedly. After analyzing, he asked again, “She brought you women’s clothes; what does she want you to do?”
“Why are you inquiring about this?” Xiao Man answered the question with another question, walked to the canopy bed opposite the Arhat couch, and placed the clothes on it.
Yan Wushu’s gaze followed Xiao Man, his tone righteous: “I am your guide now.”
Xiao Man immediately said, “Then you should even more not ask about these things.”
“You were asking me about the Unheard Bell earlier,” Yan Wushu said in a drawn-out tone. He picked up the teapot from the small table, flipped a teacup, and poured himself a cup of tea.
This inn was the top-tier establishment in Yuntai Town, and they were staying in premium rooms. The waiters swept and cleaned every morning and evening and changed the tea. It was now near noon, and the tea had long since cooled, but the inn used good tea, so even cold, it had a certain flavor.
Yan Wushu took a sip and praised the tea-maker’s skill in a low voice.
Xiao Man glanced at him faintly and said, “At that time, you weren’t our guide yet, so naturally I could ask.”
“Sharp-tongued little phoenix,” Yan Wushu laughed. His gaze returned to the two dresses Xiao Man had brought back. After observing them for a moment, he said, “But you can’t wear these two outfits.”
Xiao Man looked down and suddenly realized Yan Wushu was telling the truth.
Though slender, he was a man after all, and his height and frame did not match Shi Tang’s. If these two dresses weren’t altered, he definitely wouldn’t be able to wear them.
Shi Tang likely hadn’t considered this, or she had thought of it but assumed that as cultivators, they were omnipotent and could make objects larger or smaller at will, as depicted in storybooks.
“I’ll go to a tailor shop to have a couple made,” Xiao Man said, picking up the dresses, intending to go out and return them to Shi Tang. He had no intention of altering a girl’s belongings without permission.
Yan Wushu put down his teacup; the bottom of the cup tapped the table with a crisp sound. He smiled and said, “Isn’t the tailor sitting right in front of you?”
“?”
Xiao Man stopped in his tracks and turned to stare intently at Yan Wushu.
“Give me two of your robes; I’ll alter them into women’s style for you.” Yan Wushu reached out his hand toward Xiao Man.
For a moment, Xiao Man’s heart was extremely conflicted. He wasn’t sure if Yan Wushu was just being playful or if he really knew how to tailor. The only thing he was sure of was—
“I won’t trouble Lord Lingguang.” Xiao Man’s tone was very polite. After speaking, he continued toward the door.
Yan Wushu didn’t stop him immediately. When Xiao Man reached the door and raised his hand to open it, Yan Wushu said, “If you go out to find a tailor, you’ll likely have to wait three to five days or even half a month to get them.”
Xiao Man’s movements paused. He then thought of going to a ready-to-wear shop, but on second thought, he felt that going to such a shop to buy girls’ clothes according to his own measurements would be too strange, including his previous idea of hiring a tailor.
Altering his own robes seemed to be the most convenient method. He usually liked wearing simply styled robes; with a few changes in certain places, they could look like a girl’s.
He hesitated at the door for a long time before finally turning back, staring at Yan Wushu, and asking, “Do you really know how to tailor? You’re not just doing this for fun, are you?” His tone hid a hint of disbelief and disdain that he couldn’t mask in time.
“Is it necessary for me to tease you at a time like this?” Yan Wushu assured him. “Rest assured, I really do.”
After speaking, he immersed his spiritual sense into his Qiankun Ring. After searching around, he made a “tsk” sound. “No needle and thread. Wait for me a moment.”
Yan Wushu vanished instantly. However, he went fast and returned even faster. In less than a blink, he reappeared in the inn room holding a small basket of needles, thread, a knife, a ruler, and scissors. Xiao Man almost wanted to question if he had just taken them without paying.
But in the end, Xiao Man didn’t ask. He took out one of his robes and handed it to Yan Wushu.
The famously renowned Lord Lingguang began to thread the needle, his movements flexible and natural. Seeing this, Xiao Man asked in surprise, “How do you know how to do these things?”
“Who hasn’t had a time of being young and destitute?” Yan Wushu said with a chuckle.
Xiao Man frowned imperceptibly. He knew Yan Wushu’s identity and that he was at odds with the imperial family, but in the hundred-plus years he had known him, he had never heard of this.
Had this person also suffered when he was young?
Yan Wushu took a moment to glance at Xiao Man and, seeing his thoughts, said nonchalantly, “The past is in the past. It’s not some glorious honor, so why mention it again?”
Xiao Man lowered his eyelids.
The room was quiet, save for the sound of scissors cutting fabric. Outside, it was lively; many diners entered the inn, and the waiter’s shouts and greetings never stopped.
After a while, listening to the sounds downstairs, he said to Yan Wushu, “Miss Shi wants to dance at the ‘Famous Flowers Overthrow Kingdoms’ festival in Shenjing. It just so happens that the Wuxiu Hui troupe from Yuntai Town is sending girls to perform at the ceremony. We’ll accompany her and sneak in. Once the matter is done, she’ll give us the Unheard Bell.”
“Famous Flowers Overthrow Kingdoms? That’s not a place one can go to just like that.” As Yan Wushu spoke to Xiao Man, his movements didn’t slow down but instead quickened a bit. “Why the sudden change of heart, willing to tell me?”
The latter part of his sentence had a faint, inquiring tone.
“After you’ve seen the Unheard Bell, you must tell me everything you remember.” Xiao Man didn’t beat around the bush and looked intently at Yan Wushu with a serious gaze. “This is what you promised me before taking over Senior Brother Bai’s mission.”
Yan Wushu laughed again. “A little phoenix who has learned to be clever.”
Xiao Man let Yan Wushu describe him as he wished, said “Don’t go back on your word,” and sat by the window, pushing it open to look at the busy street below.
The small noodle stall from the morning was still open, its business exceptionally prosperous. The owner’s daughter and son-in-law had come to help, and the three were well-organized in their tasks.
Looking further away, there was Wuxiu Hui. The dancing girls were having lunch, while the proprietress was scolding several servants and maids in the courtyard.
She was definitely not someone easy to get along with; Xiao Man felt a slight foreboding.
Suddenly, he heard Yan Wushu say, “Shenjing will not be peaceful in the coming days.”
“Huh?” Xiao Man didn’t realize what Yan Wushu was talking about at first. After thinking for a moment, he understood and asked, “Because of the festival?”
Yan Wushu also gave an “Mm,” but this one was a downward tone, indicating confirmation.
He said, “This is a festival that happens once every ten years. The opportunity is rare, and the scene will be grand. People have come from all over—even from other countries. Although the Forbidden Army’s defense of the imperial city is unprecedented, it’s not to the point where all those with intentions can’t find a loophole.”
Xiao Man turned to look at Yan Wushu, his expression becoming somewhat serious. “You mean someone will take the opportunity to strike at the imperial city?”
“Who knows?” Yan Wushu smiled.
Xiao Man looked at Yan Wushu for a while and lowered his eyes.
He remembered that in a short while, Yan Wushu would go south to challenge the Sword Saint.
The Sword Saint was one of the few in the Taiqing Saint realm on the Hanging Sky Continent.
According to historical records, the reason the border between Nanxuan and Beicang was drawn on the north bank of the Great River rather than in the center was because the Sword Saint had spoken.
The Great River was a crucial river on the Hanging Sky Continent, significant in economy, politics, and military affairs.
Beicang had long hated the Sword Saint for the loss of this river.
As for the Sword Saint himself, he had been famous for two or three hundred years. When he was still in the Taixuan realm, it was said that he had no rival beneath the Saint realm. After entering the Taiqing Saint realm, he became the undisputed number one person in the world. With him there, the southern border had a flag that would never fall.
In recent decades, the Sword Saint had been cultivating in the South Sea and rarely received visitors. But soon, Yan Wushu would issue a challenge to him as one in the Upper Taixuan realm.
The Sword Saint did not refuse.
And then he lost.
After that, the unfalling flag of the southern border fell, and war broke out between the North and South.
Xiao Man didn’t know how difficult it had been for Yan Wushu to kill the Sword Saint across realms. He only knew that after that battle, Yan Wushu became the number one in the world, returned to Gushan, and was met with widespread acclaim.
Thinking of this, Xiao Man couldn’t help but probe: “Is the war in the south about to start?”
“Soon, but not just yet,” Yan Wushu said softly as he threaded a silver-white silk thread through the eye of a needle.
The sewing skills Yan Wushu had learned years ago had not grown rusty. It didn’t take much time for him to alter Xiao Man’s robe into a woman’s style. Xiao Man picked up the clothes to look at them and then drove Yan Wushu out.
He began to change his clothes. Yan Wushu had altered the two robes into a skirt set that was hard to describe. He fumbled around and put it on, not expecting the hem of the skirt to be extremely long, reaching the floor completely. After taking a few steps, he almost stepped on it several times.
After complaining about Yan Wushu in his heart, Xiao Man had to lift the hem.
It was at this moment that a person appeared in the window he had opened.
Yan Wushu had returned, holding several bottles and jars. He was about to say something when his eyes flickered upon seeing Xiao Man.
It wasn’t the first time he had seen Xiao Man, and this person was still dressed in white, but the skirt set was different from his usual robes after all. The lines of his shoulders, back, and waist were completely outlined, smooth and beautiful—especially that waist, which made one want to reach out and hold it.
Xiao Man seemed a bit annoyed by this outfit, his brows slightly furrowed. He had originally looked down, but after catching a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye, he lifted his eyelids, and his gaze flew up from below, looking particularly interesting.
Yan Wushu unnaturally looked away, coughed, and said, “I brought you some rouge and powder, from the Unheard Palace of Penglai, the best rouge shop in our Beicang country. The owner there said it definitely won’t hurt your face.”
He then pulled out a comb and added, “Also, your hair needs to be rearranged. After all, besides physique, the hairstyle is the most striking difference between men and women.”
Xiao Man was quite speechless when he heard the first part, wishing he could drive him out with the vase by the window. But when the second part came out, he couldn’t help but look in the mirror. Yan Wushu had a point; the person in the mirror was dressed in a simple white skirt, looking somewhat decent, but looking up, his head still had a man’s hairstyle.
It did look a bit strange.
He raised his hand to remove the jade crown binding his hair and, facing the mirror, tried to put up his hair based on feeling, but it fell apart as soon as he let go.
“I’ll help you,” Yan Wushu volunteered.
Xiao Man glanced at him and moved away. “No need.”
Yan Wushu said solemnly, “Your friends said you haven’t come downstairs for a long time, thought you had encountered trouble, and are on their way here. If you don’t let me help, you definitely won’t have enough time.”
“Huh?” Xiao Man was startled and listened closely; as expected, the footsteps of Qu Hanxing and the others could be heard in the hallway.
Earlier, his mind had been entirely on his hair, and he hadn’t noticed the outside. Now that he realized it, he immediately lowered his voice and said to Yan Wushu, “Leave quickly.”
But there was no more time. As soon as his words fell, there was a knock on the door, and Shi Tang asked from outside, “Xiao Man? Is there something wrong with the clothes, do you need help?”
Qu Hanxing followed, saying earnestly, “Right, right, Brother Man, if you’re having trouble, just say it. We can all help you.”
Shi Tang added, “Xiao Man, don’t be shy. Earlier, Little Mo took the initiative to let us help, and he’s already changed his clothes and finished his hair.”
Qu Hanxing: “That’s right, Brother Man. If you don’t answer, we’ll take it as a ‘yes’. We’re coming in!”
The two were performing a duet outside. Xiao Man glanced at Yan Wushu, who was sitting firmly on the window frame, thinking to himself that this person had indeed come to cause trouble. He turned to the door and said, “Don’t come in!”
His voice wasn’t as steady as usual, tinged with a bit of nervousness. Qu Hanxing’s usually poor perceptiveness reached an extraordinary level at this moment, and he immediately said:
“Your voice sounds very urgent; you must have encountered a difficulty. How about this: Miss Shi stays outside, and Brother Wei and I will go in!”
“Brother Man, here we come!”
Xiao Man felt that Qu Hanxing’s hand was about to touch the door. If he locked the door now, it would surely cause unnecessary misunderstanding. In his haste, Xiao Man strode to the window, raised his hand, and pushed Yan Wushu, cleanly sending him out of the window.