When Hua Youxian’s name was mentioned, He Yan froze. Everyone on the boat was stunned, including the singing girl holding the pipa. She stared at Lin Shuanghe for a long while before uncertainly calling out, “Young Master Lin?”

It was Hua Youxian!

He Yan quickly stepped forward, unconsciously rubbing his eyes, afraid this was all just a dream. Who would have thought that right after Lin Shuanghe mentioned Hua Youxian, they would encounter her? But… why was Hua Youxian in Jinling?

Lin Shuanghe wasn’t the only one surprised. He asked, “Weren’t you… weren’t you married? Didn’t you go to Yangzhou with that scholar surnamed Wang? How did you end up in Jinling? Am I dreaming?” He turned to look at everyone, and their reactions told him this was indeed real.

After Hua Youxian saw everyone on the boat, she too was excited. After composing herself, she said, “I separated from my husband. Yangzhou wasn’t my homeland after all, so I simply returned to Jinling. I’ve only been in Jinling for half a month and didn’t expect to meet all the young masters here.” She curved her eyes, as enchanting as she had been years ago. “It’s been years since we parted. How have you all been, young masters?”

Lin Shuanghe moved his lips and after a long while finally managed to say, “We’re doing well, but Miss Youxian, you now…”

“I’ve returned to Ruyun Tower,” Hua Youxian replied calmly. “I grew up there, and in Jinling, Ruyun Tower is like my home.” She looked at everyone, “If the young masters aren’t busy, why not visit Ruyun Tower? Though it’s not like before… it’s still quite nice.”

Lin Shuanghe turned to ask everyone, “Shall we go to Ruyun Tower? It’s been so many years, I’d like to see it again.”

This time, even the usually fastidious Yan He didn’t object. Everyone unanimously agreed.

Seeing this, Hua Youxian smiled and instructed the boatman to row toward the shore. He Yan stared at the misty lights along the riverbank, his heart unsettled.

In Jinling City’s beauties, half resided in Ruyun Tower. Every girl in the tower received a flower name when they came of age, but Hua Youxian was unique – her name wasn’t some common peony or peach blossom. She chose her name from a travel chronicle that told of a pillow from the Kingdom of Kucha, colored like agate, which could bring dreams of the Ten Continents, Three Islands, Four Seas, and Five Lakes. It was called the Immortal’s Journey Pillow.

Hua Youxian loved reading travel chronicles in her youth, hoping to marry someone who would take her across the lakes and seas. Thus, she named herself Youxian (Journey Immortal). The madam of Ruyun Tower liked the name and announced her as the Flower Immortal – Hua Youxian.

By age fourteen, Hua Youxian was renowned throughout Great Wei for her beauty. She excelled in the arts – proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Countless noble sons would spend fortunes for her smile, naturally making her Ruyun Tower’s undisputed top courtesan. To the youths of Xianzhang Academy, Hua Youxian was like a celestial immortal. Despite courtesans being considered of lower status, to these strictly raised children who would be beaten severely for entering such establishments, Hua Youxian was an unattainable dream. They didn’t even dare hope for intimacy – merely glimpsing her legendary beauty would satisfy them.

Thus, the Jinling Poetry Meeting was an opportunity these young men had desperately wished for. Everyone was eager to participate, and with Lin Shuanghe, a clever schemer, they quickly made arrangements with their servants and guards.

He Yan, being female, didn’t share the young men’s romantic yearnings for the Flower Immortal but was still curious to see this legendary beauty’s appearance. Yet amid the anticipation, there was anxiety – if He Yuansheng found out, who knew how long they would be punished to kneel in the ancestral hall.

The young men who came together were all wealthy or noble, certainly not lacking money, but this was their first time entering a flower house. Inexperienced, they dressed themselves as flamboyantly as peacocks, thinking it would give them confidence. Only Yang Mingzhi, Xiao Jue, and He Yan dressed differently. Xiao Jue wore his usual white robe and silver crown, maintaining his frost-like demeanor. Yang Mingzhi carried himself as a humble gentleman, elegant and spirited. He Yan, fearing attention, already stood out with a mask, and if dressed in gold and silver like Yan He, the news would surely reach the He family in Shuo Capital by morning. Thus, she dressed most plainly, appearing like a servant among the wealthy young men.

Although this servant wore a mask, completely covering their face.

Madam Ding of Ruyun Tower, having seen countless people, immediately recognized these young men were inexperienced but from distinguished backgrounds. Treating them as young masters out to see the world, she became even more warmly hospitable, serving the finest wine and dishes, and arranging for sensible, well-behaved girls to attend them.

The young men felt elated being waited upon, finally feeling like adults rather than children in their fathers’ and brothers’ eyes. When the wine had warmed their ears, someone remembered their purpose and asked the attending girl, “Where is the Flower Immortal? Why haven’t we seen her? We came here specifically to see the Flower Immortal!”

The girl tried to deflect, breathing into the young man’s ear, “Young Master’s words wound Cailian’s heart. Am I not good enough? Why must you think of another?”

Though not stunning, she was pretty and delicate, immediately arousing sympathy with her pitiful appearance. As the young man was about to comfort her, Lin Shuanghe fluttered his fan elegantly, saying, “With eleven guests here, if everyone thinks of Miss Cailian, I fear she couldn’t handle it.”

Yan He also said, “Exactly!” Then threw a silver ingot on the table, “We want to see the Flower Immortal!”

Seeing these young masters appeared to be of high status, Cailian dared not offend them. Unable to deflect further, she thought for a moment and went to fetch Madam Ding for help.

Madam Ding came waving her handkerchief, smiling apologetically, “My dear young masters, I’m sorry, but Youxian has been unwell recently and is resting, not receiving guests. If you admire Youxian, perhaps you could return another time. Today Ruyun Tower has been remiss in our hospitality. Dingxiang, go fetch our Drunken Red Dust wine. Today this wine is my treat to all the young masters, please be understanding.”

Having spent many years at Ruyun Tower, Madam Ding had seen all sorts and could easily handle these young men. After expressing her apologies, they could hardly say more. After she left, the young men looked at the wine jars on the table, bewildered. One said, “Is that it?”

“How can this be?” another was dissatisfied, “Our luck is too bad. What does she mean by coming another time? Once the poetry meeting ends, we have to return. Hasn’t this trip been wasted?”

“Exactly! We just wanted to see what she looks like, she wouldn’t even need to move or perform, just sit there. Otherwise, how can we boast about this when we return?”

“I had my silver ready, this is too tragic!”

He Yan silently picked at the fried peanuts before her. None of this concerned her; she had no right to speak, nor did she want to. If they couldn’t see the Flower Immortal, seeing roses and jasmine would do – it wasn’t her money being spent anyway.

But the young men felt differently. They hadn’t traveled thousands of miles to Jinling just for a poetry meeting; their interest in the legendary Flower Immortal was even stronger. Thus, after some discussion, they came up with a terrible idea.

“All the girls in Ruyun Tower live in the tower rooms. Why don’t we find out where the Flower Immortal stays and climb through her window?”

The rose pastry in He Yan’s mouth dropped with a “plop,” scattering crumbs on Xiao Jue beside her, who brushed them away with slightly furrowed brows.

But that youth was excited as if he’d found a brilliant solution. “Yes, let’s do that! I won’t do anything improper. I bought a hairpin from Shuo Capital’s Baozhu Lane when I came, I just want to give her this pin and see what she looks like. I’ll knock on her window, and if she rejects me, I won’t enter. If the immortal lady is kind-hearted, I’ll climb in and ask if she could meet us all. We came specially from Shuo Capital to see her – wouldn’t it be a waste to leave without trying?”

He Yan thought, indeed lust truly blinds wisdom, to come up with such an idea – how was this any different from those peeping flower thieves? Were all men in the world like this? So consumed by beauty they’d abandon all dignity.

But to her surprise, this terrible idea gained approval from most of the group. The other youths chimed in: “This is a great idea! Let’s do it!”

Young He Yan held back, largely due to being female, and couldn’t help but warn them: “If we’re discovered, they’ll think we’re flower thieves… and entering uninvited, wouldn’t that ruin the Flower Immortal’s reputation?”

The young men of that time were pure and hadn’t considered that the girls of Ruyun Tower had no “reputation” to speak of. After thinking for a moment, someone said, “We’ll just knock on the window from outside and pass in a note. I’ll only enter if she agrees; before that, I won’t go into her room.”

He Yan: “…”

What difference did that make?

The young men acted immediately, going to inquire about Hua Youxian’s room. Though inexperienced in matters of love, they weren’t truly stupid. After all, they were specially selected from Xianzhang Academy for the poetry meeting. Each was clever and generous with money, and before long, they had extracted Hua Youxian’s location from other girls.

Hua Youxian lived on the top floor of the tower, with her room backing onto a lake, away from others. Among the ten young men, most were quite skilled in martial arts – generally, students at Xianzhang Academy were well-rounded in both literary and martial arts. Those like Yang Mingzhi, who excelled only in literature while being terrible at martial arts, were extremely rare.

The leading youth flexed his muscles eagerly and turned to ask Xiao Jue and Yan He, “Why don’t you two go first?”

After all, these two were among the best in martial arts; climbing walls would be like walking on flat ground for them.

Xiao Jue: “I won’t go.”

Yan He said with disgust: “I won’t go either. I’m not some lecher!”

Lin Shuanghe wanted to go, but his martial arts were truly poor. Forget climbing windows and walls – even walking too much made his back and waist ache, so he definitely couldn’t be the first to go up. Yang Mingzhi had always been courteous and refined; coming to Ruyun Tower was already something he’d been dragged into unwillingly, let alone participating in such improper behavior.

As for He Yan, the young men had already automatically ignored her.

Seeing this situation, that youth said no more, just spat twice on his hands, and silently began climbing the rope upward. He Yan stood below, watching that small point disappear into the night, thinking: This is going too far.

The group stood watch while one person climbed. After all, if one person got into trouble, all students from the academy would be implicated – no one wanted to face family punishment upon return. Thus, they watched especially carefully, though security behind Ruyun Tower was quite relaxed, presumably because no one would dare to openly abduct someone at this hour.

Just as He Yan’s neck was getting stiff from looking up, there was finally movement. The rope shook, and soon, the youth who had climbed up came back down.

He was excited, his face flushed red. His classmates eagerly asked, “How was it? Did you see her?”

The boy nodded vigorously.

Everyone grew more enthusiastic: “Well? Is the Flower Immortal truly as breathtaking as rumors say?”

Again, vigorous nodding.

“Then… how is her health?” This one was considerate, remembering Hua Youxian’s recent illness. “Is she very frail? Is it serious? Should we invite a famous doctor to examine her?”

The youth puffed his cheeks, and after a long while, squeezed out: “She… the Flower Immortal is locked in her room, under house arrest! When I passed the note, she even opened the window to let me in and asked if I could help her escape.”

Everyone looked at each other, not understanding what he meant. Lin Shuanghe closed his fan and asked puzzled, “Are you saying Ruyun Tower is mistreating her?”

The youth nodded, then shook his head, finally stomping his foot: “I can’t explain clearly. Never mind, come up with me!”

Everyone was stunned.

He Yan’s heart sank – this situation was getting out of hand.

“It’s fine, the Flower Immortal said they only check her room twice a day, and they’ve already been today. Her door is locked, and there are guards downstairs. We can go up and find out what’s happening. If there’s a problem, as proper men, how can we ignore someone in need?”

Young men around ten years old generally dream of becoming heroes who rescue beauties. The more beautiful the damsel, the more impressive the hero appears. If the beauty happens to be incomparably gorgeous, even better – the hero would surely become legendary.

He Yan instinctively refused: “This… this isn’t right. How about I keep watch for you down here? I won’t go up.”

The young men stared at him intensely: “What’s not right? You’re too weak-willed, you might run at the first sign of trouble. We can’t trust you! Brother Mingzhi, you’re physically weak, why don’t you keep watch?”

Yang Mingzhi gladly agreed.

Though Xiao Jue and Yan He had initially refused to go, after the youths’ persistent pleading, they finally agreed. He Yan was internally bleeding, but had no choice but to follow everyone up the rope to the tower. The window was already open, and the young men entered one by one. Upon entering, they were struck by a feminine fragrance. The room was lit only by a dim oil lamp, and under it, in a rattan chair, sat an incomparably beautiful woman.

There were many beauties in Shuo Capital, but the woman before them had something captivating about her. Her eyes were round with pointed corners, combining allure with innocence. Her skin was extremely fair, her lips strikingly red. Her long hair hung loose behind her, complementing her scarlet gauze garments, radiating beauty. Her appearance aside, her gentle manner and enchanting speech made her seem like a goddess descended to earth at first sight.

The usually boisterous young men fell silent before this woman, each red-faced and showing amazement in their eyes.

Behind her mask, He Yan thought, so there are women this beautiful in the world.

“I am Hua Youxian,” the woman smiled like a flower, her voice melodious, “Greetings, young masters.”

Hua Youxian was several years older than even the oldest child here, and having always lived in Ruyun Tower, showed no trace of naivety. The children, suddenly addressed, stammered speechlessly, becoming like quails one after another. Even Lin Shuanghe, most experienced in such matters, didn’t know what to say.

It was Xiao Jue who spoke first, calmly asking: “We heard you’re under house arrest?”

Hua Youxian looked at Xiao Jue, her gaze pausing briefly. The reason was simple – this youth’s appearance was exceptionally striking among his peers. And from start to finish, his gaze remained calm, unaffected by her appearance. Looking at her as placidly as still water – this was rare, and Hua Youxian found it interesting. However, she quickly answered: “That’s right.”

“Who’s holding you?” Yan He was straightforward, immediately asking: “The madam of Ruyun Tower?”

“No,” Hua Youxian smiled. Though a courtesan, she spoke to these youths neither servile nor arrogant, maintaining perfect propriety – neither too distant nor too familiar. “Madam had no choice. The one who confined me here is the Provincial Governor’s wife’s cousin.”

This took quite a turn. Lin Shuanghe, having read all sorts of stories, immediately asked: “Is that person trying to force you to marry him?”

Hua Youxian looked at this young master holding a fan, slightly surprised, then smiled saying: “That’s right.”

At once, the room filled with low gasps, accompanied by angry rebukes.

“How can this be? These local officials are too tyrannical!”

“Is there no one to manage this? Abducting women in broad daylight! This violates the law.”

“Is there any way to rescue you?”

Hua Youxian looked at these young boys and smiled, her voice gentle and soothing: “It would be fine if it were just me. Entering Ruyun Tower, one loses control of their fate. I expected such a day would come. It’s just that I’ve implicated others…” Her expression darkened, her brows clouded with worry.

A beauty’s melancholy invites sympathy. Yan He flicked his ponytail, saying: “Miss, feel free to speak. If you’re in trouble, we might be able to help. *cough* This young master’s family background is far more impressive than some mere Provincial Governor.”

Though he dressed extravagantly, his clothes embroidered with layers of gold and silver thread, one could see he came from wealth. Not just him, but this whole group of youths, especially the ones in white robes, didn’t look like they came from ordinary families. Having grown up in Ruyun Tower, though not as sharp as Madam Ding at reading people, Hua Youxian was still better than most. When Yan He spoke thus, hope suddenly rose in her heart. Here, as a delicate woman, she naturally couldn’t contend with officials. Even Ruyun Tower and Madam Ding had to consider the Prefecture’s wishes. But if, as this young master said, they were more powerful than the Provincial Governor, perhaps there was still hope.

It didn’t matter what happened to her… what mattered was that person’s safety.

Thinking this, Hua Youxian smiled at Yan He, asking softly: “May I know the young master’s full name?”

Yan He blushed at Hua Youxian’s smile, but just as he was about to give his name, he suddenly remembered their visit to Ruyun Tower was hidden from their families, so he said: “My surname is Yan.”

“So it’s Young Master Yan,” Hua Youxian gazed at him gracefully, “Whatever happens, I must thank you first.” She sighed softly, “Actually, this matter began because of me…”

As Lin Shuanghe had guessed, Hua Youxian had become famous throughout the land at fourteen while at Ruyun Tower, and after turning sixteen, those seeking to marry her were endless.

Madam Ding was reluctant to part with such a money tree, naturally wanting to keep Hua Youxian longer. Moreover, after calling each other mother and daughter for years, there was some affection. Madam Ding also planned that when the time was right, she would find a good family for Hua Youxian to marry. With Hua Youxian’s background, being a wife would invite gossip, but becoming a concubine in a high official or wealthy household, serving well for a few years, and having sons to rely on – her future wouldn’t be bad.

But at eighteen, Hua Youxian fell in love.

The man was called Scholar Wang, not from Jinling but from Yangzhou – specifically, the legitimate son of a wealthy Yangzhou silk merchant. He had come to Jinling on business with friends, happened to visit Ruyun Tower, was struck by Hua Youxian’s beauty, and fell in love at first sight.

With Hua Youxian’s fame, countless young nobles loved her. Among them, Wang wasn’t particularly outstanding. Yet matters of the heart are mysterious – among all the noble youths, Hua Youxian fell for the scholarly Wang.

Honestly speaking, though from a merchant family, Wang had considerable literary talent. His family hoped he would pursue official rank, but Wang found this too utilitarian. He only wished to travel freely through life, which coincidentally matched Hua Youxian’s childhood dreams. On their first meeting, they drank and talked through the night. Wang’s family business had taken him far and wide, and he had many strange tales to tell. Hua Youxian, never having left Ruyun Tower, was naturally drawn to these stories.

A talented man and beautiful woman, under flowers and moonlight – everything progressed naturally.

Madam Ding looked down on Wang somewhat, thinking a merchant family was mere business people – being a merchant’s wife wasn’t as good as being an official’s concubine. Moreover, if Hua Youxian followed Wang, she’d have to return to Yangzhou, too far to meet again.

She didn’t want Hua Youxian to leave Jinling.

“My dear daughter, don’t let a man deceive you,” Madam Ding advised patiently, “I’ve seen much over the years. If you follow him to Yangzhou and suffer later, who will you turn to? You’ll be the one bearing the hardship.”

Hua Youxian smiled and played along.

She was determined to buy her freedom, and over the years had saved considerable wealth. Just as she was about to gather enough silver for her redemption, an unwelcome visitor appeared.

Tong Qiushi, the brother of the Provincial Governor’s wife.